ALEXANDER  VON  JOST 

1  North  Cherry  Street 
RICHMOND   2B,  VA. 


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THE  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE  OF  COLOR 


A  Symbol  of  the  Rainbow 


THE  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE  OF 


COLOR 

By 

BONNIE  E.  SNOW 
HUGO  B.  FROEHLIGH 


THE  PRANG  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  GHIGAGO 


Copyright,  1918 
By  Bonnie  E.  Snow  and  Hugo  B.  Froehlich 


THE  PREFACE 


UP  to  the  present  time,  the  study  of  Color  has  been  approached 
from  three  different  angles:  the  angle  of  the  physicist,  the  angle 
of  the  chemist  and  the  angle  of  the  painter  or  artist.  The  phys- 
icist has  demonstrated  that  the  sun  is  the  source  of  all  Color,  and  has  un- 
locked for  us  the  secrets  of  the  Solar  Spectrum.  The  chemist  has  found 
in  certain  clays,  in  plant  and  animal  life  and  in  bi-products  of  coal,  vari- 
ous symbols  and  substitutes  for  Color  which  he  calls  pigment,  and  which 
he  combines  in  wonderful  ways  to  make  our  dyes,  paints  and  inks.  The 
artist-painter  has  made  use  of  the  chemist's  formulae  in  the  instrument 
which  he  uses  to  portray  his  interpretation  of  nature,  his  marvelous 
flights  of  imagination  and  the  depth  of  his  insight  into  the  human  heart. 
But  all  three  of  these  workers,  indispensable  as  each  one  is  to  the  growth 
and  development  of  the  world,  have  ignored  the  individual  man  and  his 
needs. 

Though  living  in  a  world  of  Color,  and  forced  by  the  nature  of  all 
created  things  to  the  daily  and  hourly  use  of  Color,  the  average  man  is 
densely  ignorant  of  any  laws  or  principles  which  will  guide  him  in  its 
intelligent  use.  He  has  been  sailing  in  uncharted  seas,  and,  as  a  result, 
he  has  often  found  himself  upon  the  rocks  of  discordant  and  irritating 
Color  combinations,  in  his  home,  in  his  dress  and  in  his  efforts  to  meet 
the  demands  of  business  advertising. 

Moreover,  the  enjoyment  of  Color,  in  itself  as  pure  and  exquisite 
a  pleasure  as  the  enjoyment  of  music,  has  been  for  him  a  sensation  un- 
known. He  has  believed  that  Color  belongs  to  a  mysterious  realm,  in- 
habited only  by  artists,  geniuses  and  others  who  are  "born  to  the  pur- 
ple.'' He  has  been  told  that  the  appreciation  of  Color  is  a  matter  of 
feeling  and  emotion,  and  that  if  he  does  not  n:.turally  "thrill"  to  chords 
of  Color  struck  by  a  master  hand,  then  there  is  no  way  for  him  to  acquire 
the  ability  to  enjoy  Color  and  to  understand  its  use,  except  through  years 
of  practice  in  the  technical  processes  of  so-called  Art  training. 

This  book,  with  its  Color  Charts,  is  compiled  for  the  purpose  of 
discovering  to  the  ordinary  man  the  World  of  Color.  The  Charts  are 
the  keys  that  unlock  a  vast  storehouse.  The  Charts,  purely  scientific  as 
they  are,  will  cause  the  doors  of  the  storehouse  to  swing  wide.    All  who 


will,  may  enter  and  carry  away  the  priceless  gems.  Familiarity  with 
this  scientific  basis  of  Color  can  never  restrict  the  play  of  man's  emo- 
tions, nor  deaden  his  vibrations.  Indeed,  the  more  he  knows  about 
Color,  the  greater  is  his  pleasure  in  using  it. 

That  the  simple  Theory  herein  expounded  may  be  of  service  to  stu- 
dents of  all  ages,  who  wish  to  know  that  they  may  more  fully  live,  is  the 
sincere  desire  of  the  authors. 

Grateful  acknowledgment  is  made  to  Mr.  Frank  Alvah  Parsons, 
President  of  the  New  York  School  of  Fine  and  Applied  Arts,  whose 
presentation  of  this  Color  Theory  as  fundamental  in  all  Art  training  first 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  authors  and  suggested  to  them  the  simpli- 
fied series  of  Charts  which  appears  in  this  book. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

Page 

The  Preface 

5 

Chapter 

I 

A     TTT        It        i"  1 

y 

Chapter 

II 

1  7 

C-Iiap  icr 

TTT 

X  J.  1 

The  Primary  Colors  and  Their  Uses  in  Design 

1  c 
1 3 

TV 

Ihe  Binary  Colors  and  How  to  Use  Ihem  . 

1/ 

V 

V 

Color  Values:  Tints  and  Shades  .... 

19 

\^Uap  LCI 

VT 

V  X 

Complementary  Colors  and  How  to  Use  Them  . 

22 

^^napier 

VTT 
V  11 

Neighboring  or  Analogous  Colors  .... 

25 

Chapter 

VIII 

The  Color  Triad  and  the  Split  Complement. 

28 

Chapter 

IX 

Color  in  Various  Degrees  of  Intensity — or  Grayed 
Colors  

31 

Chapter 

X 

33 

Chapter 

XI 

Color  Harmonies  in  Costume  

38 

Chapter 

XII 

Color  Harmonies  in  Interior  Decorations 

42 

Chapter 

XIII 

Color  in  Commercial  Design  

47 

COLOR  CHARTS  AND  DIAGRAMS 

Facing  Page 


Frontispiece — A  Symbol  of  the  Rainbow    3 

Value  Chart  of  Neutral  Gray  and  Two  Colors  {Hand  Painted)   9 

Figure      I — A  device  for  Locating  Complementary  Colors   24 

Figure    II — A  device  for  Locating  a  Triad  of  Colors   28 

Figure  III — A  device  for  Locating  a  Split  Complement   30 

Chart       I — Primary  Colors  {Hand  Painted)   16 

Chart      II — 'Q\n2ivy  Colors  {Hand  Painted)    18 

Chart    III — Normal  Colors  and  Tints  (i/fln^/ Pfl/n/^'J)   20 

Chart     IV — Normal  Colors,  Tints  and  Shades  {Hand  Painted)  ....  22 

Chart      V — Complementary  and  Neutral  Gray  Pfl/n/^</)  ...  24 

Chart     VI — Primary  Colors,  Binary  Colors,  Hues  and  Analogous 

Color  Schemes  {Hand  Painted)   26 

Chart  VII — Colors  in  Full  Intensity  and  Grayed  Colors  {Hand 

Painted)    32 

Chart  VIII — Colors  in  One-Half  and  One- Fourth  Intensities.  Mon- 
ochromatic Color  Schemes.  Analogous  Color 
Schemes.  Complementary  Color  Schemes.  {Hand 
Painted)   36 


Blue  Green  '     Red  Orange 

White 


M 


L  D 


Light 


Middle 


Dark 


Black 


H  L  High  Light  H  L 


L  L  Low  Light  L  L 


M 


H  D  High  Dark  H  D 


D 


L  D 


VALUE  SCALE  IN  TWO  COLORS 
AND  NEUTRAL  TONES 


THE 

THEORY  AND  PRACTICE 
OF  COLOR 

Chapter  I 
A  WORLD  OF  COLOR 

IN  this  world  we  are  surrounded  by  Color.  Every  object  that  we 
see,  of  any  kind,  in  any  place,  has  Color.  It  is  the  one  great  dis- 
tinguishing factor  which  enables  us  to  separate  in  our  vision  one 
object  from  another.  When  the  darkness  of  night  descends  upon 
our  world  and  the  light  of  the  moon  and  the  stars  is  obscured  by  storm 
clouds,  we  grope  about  blindly.  We  cannot  see  objects  which  we  know 
are  in  the  old  familiar  places,  because  their  Color  is  hidden  from  us  by  the 
dark. 

We  look  from  the  window,  and  we  see  a  kaleidoscopic  array  of  col- 
or shapes.  There  are  people  on  the  streets;  trees  and  buildings  rising 
against  the  sky;  patches  of  blue  above  the  clouds;  ascending  columns  of 
smoke  and  steam;  there  are  housetops  and  chimneys;  waving  flags  and 
banners;  street  cars,  automobiles,  signboards  and  shop  windows;  all,  all 
are  playing  their  part  in  the  great  color  orchestration. 

We  look  about  the  room  in  which  we  sit.  Every  object  and  element 
in  it  possesses  the  quality  of  color.  The  floor,  if  of  wood,  is  perhaps  a 
tone  of  gray  orange,  which  we  commonly  call  brown.  The  "trim"  of 
the  room  may  be  chestnut,  or  polished  mahogany  or  painted  pine.  What- 
ever its  finish  or  tone,  it  has  Color.  The  walls  are  of  rough  plaster,  or 
they  are  calcimined  or  papered.  They,  too,  possess  the  inevitable  quality 
of  Color.  The  curtains,  the  window  shades,  even  the  glass  of  the  panes 
have  Color.  The  rugs  and  hangings  we  have  long  been  accustomed  to 
think  of  as  Color  notes,  but  they  possess  Color  no  more,  though  of  dif- 
ferent quality,  than  do  the  structural  elements  of  the  room.  If  in  our 
room  all  of  these  color  elements  are  combined  intelligently,  the  effect  is 


harmonious  and  restful.  If  they  are  used  thoughtlessly  or  in  ignorance, 
we  are  unsatisfied,  and  we  wonder  why  some  rooms  are  so  much  more 
beautiful  than  others.  Beauty  is  never  the  result  of  mere  outlay  or  ex- 
pense. It  depends  on  knowledge  of  the  laws  of  Color,  either  intuitive, 
or  consciously  acquired. 

So  fundamental  is  the  element  of  Color  that  we  cannot  escape  its 
use,  even  if  we  would.  No  part  of  the  costume  of  a  human  being  can 
be  separated  from  Color.  The  hat,  the  coat,  the  shoes  of  the  laborer  are 
as  full  of  Color  as  the  millinery,  the  velvet  and  the  costly  furs  of  the  lady 
of  wealth.  But  the  peasant  may  be  as  beautiful  in  his  costume,  as  the 
prince  is  in  his,  if  only  his  colors  sing  in  tune,  and  the  lines  of  his  costume 
are  in  structural  harmony  with  his  figure. 

Since  in  this,  our  world,  we  are  compelled  to  see  Color,  to  use  Col- 
or, and  to  live  Color,  why  should  we  not  extract  the  fullest  enjoyment 
from  Color?  Our  bodies  are  nourished  by  food.  We  expend  much  time 
and  money  in  the  effort  to  make  that  food  palatable.  Color  feeds  the 
senses,  the  emotions  and  that  all  important  and  all  controlling  factor  of 
our  being,  the  spirit.  Why,  then,  shall  we  not  feast  our  eyes  on  the 
beauty  of  color  in  its  endless  phases  of  delight,  as  we  have  learned  to 
feast  our  ears  upon  that  harmony  of  sounds  which  we  call  music? 

Color  is  a  language  through  which  man  expresses  his  thoughts  and 
ideas,  his  feelings  and  aspirations.  We  say  that  a  painter  expresses  him- 
self on  canvas;  that  he  "interprets"  Nature  to  us,  or  shows  us  through 
the  use  of  his  pigments  his  moods,  his  spiritual  insight  into  character 
and  his  visions.  But  it  rarely  occurs  to  us  that  we  also  express  ourselves 
through  Color.  Our  houses,  our  clothes,  our  offices,  our  shops  and  fac- 
tories, our  streets  and  gardens,  our  schoolrooms,  our  surroundings  and 
perquisites  everywhere  proclaim  us.  We  cannot  prevent  this  inevitable  ad- 
vertisement. What  we  choose  and  buy  and  wear  and  use  tells  with  bru- 
tal frankness  what  we  are. 

Since  Color  is  so  universal  a  language  which  we  cannot  choose  but 
speak,  it  behooves  us  to  speak  it  beautifully.  The  educated  American  is 
known  by  the  quality  of  his  "English."  Our  ears  are  trained  to  detect 
grammatical  errors.  If  a  person  is  guilty  of  such  a  lapse  as  "Between 
you  and  I,"  or  "He  done  well"  he  is  instantly  classified  as  ignorant  of  the 
usage  of  correct  speech.    But  thousands  of  people,  otherwise  educated, 


commit  just  as  glaring  errors  in  the  grammar  of  Color;  for  there  are 
laws  which  govern  the  various  combinations  and  relationships  of  Color, 
just  as  there  are  laws  that  govern  the  combinations  and  relationships  of 
words.  In  our  former  teaching,  we  were  accustomed  to  think  of  Color 
relationships  as  being  governed  by  feeling,  or  taste,  or  some  other  heav- 
en-sent intuition.  But  now  we  know  that  color  relationships  can  be  taught, 
as  definitely  as  we  teach  the  rules  of  grammar.  Those  gifted  with  a  Color 
sense  will  still  possess  advantage  over  the  average  individual,  but  in  the 
light  of  Color  knowledge,  the  average  individual  can  be  kept  from  cre- 
ating and  tolerating  discords,  and  through  instruction  can  become  a  liv- 
ing example  of  Color  harmonies. 

In  man's  more  intimate  life,  as  well  as  in  his  business  environment, 
the  relationships  of  Color  play  no  mean  part  in  influencing  his  nature. 
Consciously  or  unconsciously  he  is  affected  by  his  surroundings.  That 
mysterious  quality  which  we  call  "atmosphere"  is  very  largely  a  ques- 
tion of  Color  adjustments,  and  it  is  a  matter  of  immense  importance 
whether  the  atmosphere  with  which  one  is  surrounded  is  discordant  and 
jarring  or  serene  and  restful. 

The  civilization  in  which  we  find  ourselves  today  is  ceaselessly  open- 
ing new  fields  of  activities  in  industry,  in  commerce  and  in  education 
where  a  thorough  training  of  the  color  sense  and  a  knowledge  of  Color 
in  its  various  relationships  are  positively  essential. 

In  the  future,  America  must  manufacture  from  the  raw  products 
her  own  dyestuflfs,  paints  and  pigments.  Her  industrial  workers,  her 
chemists,  her  manufacturers,  her  lithographers,  printers  and  colorists  of 
every  kind  and  calling  must  be  trained  in  the  understanding  and  the  use 
of  Color.  Already,  under  the  pressure  of  these  times,  the  American 
chemist  has  risen  to  the  need  of  the  hour  and  has  produced  a  range  of 
commercial  Colors,  in  dyes,  inks  and  various  pigments  which  will  forever 
establish  his  ability  to  solve  for  his  country  the  problems  of  Color  manu- 
facture. These  are  considerations  quite  apart  from  the  training  of  the 
aesthetic  sense,  in  all  individuals.  The  aim  and  desire  for  a  higher  stand- 
ard of  life,  industrially,  commercially,  educationally  and  spiritually 
cannot  be  realized  without  a  knowledge  of  that  subtle  medium.  Color, 
with  which  we  are  always  and  everywhere  surrounded. 

In  the  effort  to  place  the  teaching  of  Color  upon  a  scientific  and  ped- 


agogical  basis,  the  simplest  and  most  easily  used  theory  has  been  adopted, 
in  this  book.  So  far  as  individual  students  of  mature  minds  and  judg- 
ment are  concerned  it  seems  to  be  a  matter  of  small  importance  whether 
the  Brewster  theory,  the  Rood  theory,  the  Munsell  theory,  the  Ross  the- 
ory, or  any  other  theory  is  used,  in  the  effort  to  clarify,  systemize  and 
make  definite  one's  ideas  of  Color.  The  essential  thing  is  that  the  work- 
er adopts  a  theory  that  it  is  to  him  workable  and  satisfactory.  It  is  nec- 
essary for  the  worker  to  think  about  Color  intellectually,  as  well  as  to 
feel  it  emotionally;  to  be  able  to  give  reasons  for  the  use  of  his  combina- 
tions of  Color.  He  should  arrive  at  a  thoughtful  appreciation  of  Col- 
or harmony,  as  well  as  at  an  esthetic  enjoyment  of  Color.  In  the  case  of 
the  average  human  being,  not  gifted  with  a  special  Color  sense,  it  is  im- 
perative that  he  be  given  a  Chart  to  sail  by,  rather  than  to  be  left  to  the 
accident  of  choices  which  he  is  compelled  to  make  from  the  vast  ocean 
of  Color  in  which  he  finds  himself.  We  should  acknowledge  that  there 
is  a  science  of  Color,  just  as  there  is  a  science  of  Music.  While  in  Color 
the  cultivated  eye  must  be  the  final  test,  as  the  cultivated  ear  is  the  final 
test  in  Music,  still  the  results  obtained  should  not  violate  well  defined 
Color  principles,  and  these  principles  should  be  so  simply  presented  that 
everybody  can  understand  and  use  them. 

Belief  in  a  Color  theory  and  the  use  of  a  Color  Chart  are  means  and 
aids  to  the  attainment  of  beauty.  When  American  industry  appreciates 
the  commercial  value  of  beauty  in  the  manufactured  product,  our  coun- 
try will  stand  a  chance  of  winning  commercial  supremacy  in  the  mark- 
ets of  the  world. 


Chapter  II 


THE  SOURCE  OE  COLOR 

IN  physics  we  analyze  a  ray  of  light;  we  separate  it  into  its  com- 
ponent parts;  we  discover  laws  of  transmission,  refraction,  reflec- 
tion; we  determine  the  wavelengths  of  dififerent  Colors  and  the 
effects  of  different  Colors  upon  the  retina  of  the  eye.  Such  study 
is  purely  physical,  and  has  to  do  with  the  wonderful  properties  of  Light, 
the  source  of  all  Color.  The  results  of  such  study  are  of  great  scientific 
value,  but  they  contribute  very  little  to  the  cultivation  of  the  Color  sense. 
The  physicist's  aims  are  purely  scientific.  He  tells  us  that  a  ray  of  sunlight 
separated  by  means  of  a  spectroscope  into  its  component  parts,  shows  red, 
green  and  blue-purple  as  the  three  elements  which  in  various  combina- 
tions produce  all  other  colors.  But  the  artist,  the  designer,  the  maker 
of  dye  stuffs  and  other  coloring  matter  cannot  make  use  of  these  physical 
elements  of  Color.  The  artist,  the  designer,  the  decorator,  the  printer, 
the  dyer,  the  house  painter,  the  teacher,  the  pupil,  the  citizen  is  depend- 
ent for  Color  expression  not  on  rays  of  light  but  upon  pigments.  Pig- 
ments are  symbols  of  Color.  They  are  Color  representations,  and  their 
combinations  produce  results  that  differ  in  many  particulars  from  the 
combinations  of  different  rays  of  Colors  secured  from  Light. 

Pigment  is  obtained  from  various  sources.  As  in  the  days  of  the 
Egyptians,  we  must  still  go  to  Mother  Earth  for  our  most  important  and 
permanent  Colors,  such  as  yellow  ochre,  raw  sienna,  the  umbers,  vandyke 
brown,  cobalt,  ultra-marine,  cadmium  and  white.  From  the  animal  king- 
dom we  derive  our  carmine,  crimson  lake,  purple  lake,  indian  purple, 
sepia  and  other  colors.  Vegetables  and  plants  are  the  sources  of  gam- 
boge, indigo,  and  the  family  of  madders.  In  the  early  days  the  master 
dyer  and  painter  made  his  own  colors,  and  he  worked  with  a  limited 
palette.  He  himself  ground,  or  his  apprentice  did,  all  the  colors  that  he 
required.  In  fact,  apprenticeship  began  with  color  grinding.  Gradually 
the  palette  of  the  painter  was  increased  by  the  addition  of  other  pig- 
ments, discovered  by  various  masters.    In  time  the  manufacture  of  colors 


became  a  specialized  occupation,  a  distinct  profession,  until  today  we 
find  it  a  vast  Color  industry,  of  immense  commercial  importance. 

The  physicist,  as  we  have  said,  in  his  investigations  goes  to  the 
source  of  all  Color,  the  white  light  of  the  sun.  He  finds  that  a  ray  of 
white  light  when  passed  through  a  glass  prism  and  thrown  upon  a  wall 
or  screen,  produces  a  band  of  Color  like  a  rainbow.  He  calls  this  band 
the  spectrum.  These  spectrum  colors  he  uses  in  all  his  experiments  and 
deductions.  He  is  not  concerned  if  combinations  of  pigments  do  not 
bear  out  the  truths  that  he  discovers  in  dealing  with  the  spectrum  Colors 
themselves.  The  artist  and  the  industrial  worker,  however,  must  deal 
with  pigments  and  with  those  principles  and  formulae  that  concern  them. 
It  does  not  matter  to  the  makers  of  dyes  if,  as  the  physicist  says,  red  light 
and  green  light  in  mixture  produces  yellow  light,  when  they  find  by  ex- 
periment that  red  pigment  and  green  pigment  in  mixture  produce  gray. 
No  matter  what  the  spectroscope  may  demonstrate  regarding  the  com- 
bination of  yellow  rays  of  light  and  blue  rays  of  light,  the  fact  remains 
that  yellow  pigment  mixed  with  blue  pigment  produces  green  pigment. 
Similarly  regardless  of  the  spectroscope,  blue  pigment  mixed  with  red 
pigment  produces  violet  pigment. 

Shall  we  teach  a  false  color  theory?  By  no  means!  Let  us  teach 
a  theory  that  can  be  proved  through  the  use  of  pigments  in  the  Color 
world  in  which  we  live.  Let  us  seek  for  a  clearer  understanding  of  the 
truth,  and  harmonize  our  teaching  with  the  truth.  With  our  Color 
theories  and  our  Color  Charts  we  wish  to  lead  the  people  to  an  appre- 
ciation of  fine  Color.  Our  public  schools  should  be  responsible  for  teach- 
ing a  certain  amount  of  definite  Color  knowledge  and  this  knowledge 
should  influence  the  people  in  the  choices  they  will  inevitably  make  of 
Colors  in  costumes,  house-furnishings  and  in  commercial  commodities. 
It  will  be  useful  for  the  common  people  to  know  that  certain  combinations 
of  Color  can  be  depended  upon  to  produce  beauty  and  that  other  com- 
binations should  be  avoided,  because  they  result  in  discord.  The  so-called 
Red,  Yellow  and  Blue  theory  seems  the  simplest,  the  most  widely  used 
and  understood,  and  the  most  practical  for  educational  and  general  pur- 
poses that  has  yet  been  devised.  In  the  explanations  and  demonstrations 
which  follow,  let  it  be  borne  in  mind  that  pigments  are  the  media  em- 
ployed and  that  it  is  the  intelligent  use  of  pigments  in  their  manifold 
forms  that  will  best  develop  Color  appreciation. 


[I4\ 


Chapter  III 


THE  PRIMARY  COLORS  AND  THEIR  USE  IN  DESIGN 

THE  prismatic  band,  or  spectrum,  has  been  symbolized  by  a  beau- 
tiful rhythm  of  painted  colors,  beginning  with  red,  and  passing 
through  successive  steps  of  orange,  yellow,  green  and  blue  to 
red-violet.    (See  frontispiece).    In  the  rainbow  or  prismatic 
group  itself  some  of  these  Color  tones  are  missing. 

Among  these  is  the  pure,  typical  red,  which  leans  neither  to  orange 
nor  to  violet.  In  the  color  charts  in  this  volume  we  have  represented  the 
Colors  of  the  spectrum  and  also  the  missing  steps  in  the  complete  circuit 
of  Color  tones.  In  dealing  thus  with  pigments  we  find  that  there  are 
three  Colors  which  are  the  basis  for  all  other  colors,  and  that  these  three 
are  yellow,  red  and  blue.  These  Colors  are  in  themselves  elements  and 
cannot  be  produced  by  mixture.  Therefore  we  call  them  Primary  Colors. 

In  studying  the  relationships  of  the  different  tones  in  our  scale  of  Col- 
ors, it  has  been  found  convenient  to  arrange  them  in  a  circle,  the  first 
elements  of  which  are  shown  in  Chart  I.  Here  the  three  pigment  pri- 
maries, yellow,  red  and  blue,  appear  in  their  greatest  strength  or  in- 
tensity. They  are  therefore  called  normal  yellow,  normal  red,  normal 
blue,  because  they  are  unmodified  and  undiluted. 

The  three  Primary  Colors  in  their  full  intensity,  dif¥ering  so 
widely  in  their  tone  and  quality,  are  instantly  recognized  by  little  chil- 
dren who  start  with  them  as  the  first  steps  in  the  acquirement  of  definite 
Color  knowledge.  Many  interesting  exercises  may  be  planned  to  vitalize 
and  make  practical  the  purely  scientific  facts  presented.  Children  are 
trained  to  avoid  the  use  of  two  primaries  (as  red  and  yellow,  red  and 
blue,  blue  and  yellow)  in  any  exercise  or  arrangement  involving  the 
decorative  use  of  Color. 

They  are  taught  to  combine  any  one  of  the  Primaries  in  its  full 
intensity  with  a  neutral — that  is,  with  black  or  white  or  gray,  or  with  a 
combination  of  all  or  any  two  of  these  neutral  tones.  In  the  first  prob- 
lems of  elementary  design,  the  children  may  print  with  sticks,  making 


many  border  designs  and  surface  patterns  by  the  repetition  of  some  simple 
geometric  shape,  printed  in  yellow,  red  or  blue,  or  white  or  light  gray 
paper.  If  opaque  Colors  are  available,  shapes  of  white  or  yellow  may 
be  printed  upon  black  paper.  Cut  paper  shades  of  black,  white  or  gray 
may  be  pasted  upon  yellow,  red  or  blue  backgrounds,  or  the  order  may 
be  reversed,  and  the  bright  shapes  of  paper  may  be  arranged  upon  back- 
grounds of  the  neutral  tones.  Black  and  white  checked  ginghams  may 
be  printed  with  shapes  of  a  Primary  Color,  and  these  interesting  patterns 
made  up  into  bags,  holders  and  other  useful  articles.  The  costumes  of 
paper  dolls  may  show  combinations  of  a  neutral  with  a  Primary, — a  blue 
dress  may  be  trimmed  with  white,  a  gray  coat  with  red,  or  a  black  cap 
with  red  or  yellow.  With  children  who  are  beginning  this  definite  study 
of  Color,  it  is  well  to  limit  the  decorative  use  of  Color  to  the  group  pre- 
sented in  the  Chart  at  a  particular  stage,  for  only  by  working  within 
limitations  will  invention  be  stimulated.  Thus  will  our  courageous  and 
intelligent  use  of  Color  begin.  We  shall  not  hesitate  to  use  bright  Color 
when  we  know  what  combinations  to  make  and  how  to  balance  intense 
tones  of  color  by  judicious  combination  with  neutrality. 


YELLOW 


PRIMARY  COLORS 


YEU-OW  RED  BUUE. 


CHART  ONE 


Chapter  IV 


THE  BINARY  COLORS  AND  HOW  TO  USE  THEM 

IF  we  start  with  the  three  Primary  pigments,  yellow,  red  and  blue  as  a 
basis,  we  have  a  foundation  for  all  other  color  tones  that  can  be  pro- 
duced by  mixture.  The  simplest  ratio  of  combination  is  to  mix 
equal  parts  of  any  two  primaries,  producing  in  this  way,  by  each 
mixture,  a  third  color,  which  we  call  a  binary  Color.  There  are  three 
Binary  Colors,  orange,  green  and  violet,  which  are  produced  as  follows: 
Equal  parts  of  yellow  and  red  in  mixture,  produce  the  Binary  orange; 
equal  parts  of  yellow  and  blue,  in  mixture,  produce  the  Binary  green; 
and  equal  parts  of  red  and  blue,  in  mixture,  produce  the  Binary  violet. 

Chart  No.  II  shows  the  Binary  Colors  orange,  green  and  violet 
placed  so  that  each  Binary  is  seen  between  its  two  constituent  Primary 
Colors. 

An  interesting  way  of  demonstrating  these  scientific  facts  of  Color 
mixtures,  especially  before  a  class,  is  to  prepare  beforehand  solutions  of 
the  Primary  Colors  in  comparatively  large  quantities,  mixing  them  in 
pairs  as  follows:  dissolve  in  each  of  three  glasses  of  water  two  hard 
cakes  of  Water  Color, — yellow  in  one  glass,  red  in  another  and  blue  in 
the  third.  These  cakes  should  soak  over  night.  In  the  morning  stir 
each  fluid  with  a  clean  spoon  or  stick.  The  solutions  will  then  be  ready 
for  use.  They  will  appear  in  the  glasses  at  their  normal  tones,  or  in  full 
intensity,  as  we  say.  In  a  fourth  glass,  pour  about  a  quarter  of  the  solu- 
tion of  yellow,  and  the  same  amount  of  red  solution.  The  results  will  be 
orange.  In  a  fifth  glass  pour  equal  amounts  of  yellow  and  blue.  The 
result  will  be  green.  In  a  sixth  glass  pour  equal  amounts  of  red  and 
blue.   The  result  will  be  violet. 

Beginners  of  all  ages  will  find  the  mixing  and  spreading  of  these 
Color  tones  a  great  aid  to  the  understanding  of  Colors  and  their  rela- 
tionships. Even  children  in  primary  grades  can  be  taught  to  mix  and 
spread  all  of  the  Color  washes  that  are  presented  in  Charts  I,  II,  and 
III.   The  duplication  of  these  Charts  is  strongly  recommended.    In  no 


[17] 


other  way  can  Color  experience  be  so  definitely  gained.  Even  if  the 
Color  standards  shown  in  the  Charts  are  not  reached,  the  efifort  to  "meas- 
ure up"  to  them  is  of  great  value.  Water  Colors,  either  transparent  or 
opaque,  are  the  best  mediums  for  chart  making.  Where  the  mixing  of 
Colors  is  not  practicable,  colored  papers  may  be  employed  for  the  teach- 
ing of  the  theory  of  Color;  but  color  experience  can  only  be  gained 
through  the  actual  processes  of  mixing  and  spreading  the  various  Color 
tones  in  the  charts.  The  simpler  and  more  easily  recognized  tones  are 
found  in  the  first  five  Charts.  After  that,  the  new  Colors  presented  are 
more  subtle  and  therefore  more  difficult  to  mix. 

In  decorative  design  the  Binary  mixtures  open  up  to  us  a  rich  field 
of  Color.  Any  Color  with  two  component  parts  is  more  interesting  than 
a  purely  elemental  or  Primary  Color.  For  instance,  orange  is  a  color 
of  greater  decorative  value  than  either  yellow  or  red;  green  has  more 
"quality"  than  either  blue  or  yellow;  and  violet  is  distinctly  more  inter- 
esting than  either  red  or  blue. 

The  Binary  colors,  like  the  Primaries,  can  be  effectively  combined 
with  any  or  all  of  the  neutral  tones,  white,  black  or  gray.  In  schools 
where  Color  is  taught  definitely,  the  decorative  use  of  Color  in  the  sec- 
ond grade  is  confined  to  the  Primaries  and  the  Binaries,  in  their  normal 
tones,  combined  with  one  or  more  neutrals.  Combinations  of  the  Binar- 
ies should  not  at  this  time  be  permitted,  nor  combinations  of  a  Primary 
and  a  Binary.  When  at  a  later  stage  of  the  development  of  Color  study 
the  idea  of  Complementary  Colors  and  the  theory  of  complementary  har- 
monies are  presented,  combinations  of  Primaries  and  Binaries  may  be 
made.  But  as  everything  depends  for  Color  harmony  upon  how  these 
Colors  are  used,  it  is  best  to  limit  Color  combinations,  in  elementary 
problems,  to  the  use  of  any  one  of  the  six  Colors  already  presented  with 
one  or  more  neutral  tones. 


YELLOW 


BINARV  COLORS 


ORANQB  VIOLET  GREEN 



CHART  TWO 


Chapter  V 


COLOR  VALUES:  TINTS  AND  SHADES 


NE  of  the  advantages  of  a  definite  knowledge  of  Color,  gained 


through  the  study  and  analysis  of  Color  Charts,  is  the  ability  to 


classify  and  name  all  the  different  Color  tones  that  we  see  about 
us,  in  flowers,  in  the  landscape,  in  materials  of  all  kinds,  and  in  dyes, 
paints,  inks  and  other  forms  of  pigment.  To  give  each  Color  tone  its 
place  and  name,  we  must  understand  the  various  properties  or  qualities 
of  Color.  In  the  study  of  grammar  we  first  learn  to  identify  the  dif- 
ferent parts  of  speech,  such  as  nouns,  verbs  and  adjectives.  So,  in  the 
study  of  Color,  we  must  first  be  able  to  identify  the  different  Color  tones 
of  the  Chromatic  Circle,  After  that,  we  are  ready  to  investigate  the  dif- 
ferent forms,  or  manifestations,  of  each  Color.  Color  is  strangely  like 
language,  in  its  difJerent  forms  and  shades  of  meaning.  It  has  different 
qualifiers  and  modifiers.  One  of  these  qualifiers  is  known  as  Value.  We 
should  understand  clearly  what  this  means. 

We  have  already  learned  that  the  Colors  in  the  Chromatic  Circle, 
as  shown  in  the  Charts,  are  seen  in  their  full  strength  or  intensity.  But 
in  the  world  about  us  we  often  see  any  one  of  these  colors  in  lighter  and 
in  darker  tones.  We  can  easily  recall  a  large  family  of  blues,  reds, 
greens  and  all  the  other  colors,  ranging  from  very  pale  to  very  dark 
tones.  This  quality  of  lightness  or  darkness  is  what  we  mean  by  Value. 
If  I  say  to  you  "I  shall  wear  a  blue  dress  tomorrow,"  you  do  not  know 
whether  I  mean  a  light  blue,  a  dark  blue  or  a  normal  blue  dress.  But  if 
I  say,  "I  shall  wear  a  dark  blue  dress  tomorrow,"  you  immediately  form 
an  idea  of  what  I  mean.  But  you  do  not  know  just  how  dark  my  dress 
will  be,  for  there  are  many  degrees  of  dark,  in  blue.  It  is  often  neces- 
sary to  state  exactly  how  dark  or  how  light  a  certain  Color  tone  is.  To 
help  us  do  this,  a  scale  of  values  has  been  prepared,  each  step  in  the  scale 
having  its  own  particular  name,  just  as  in  the  scale  of  music  we  have  the 
notes  or  tones  do,,  re,  mi,  fa,  sol,  la,  si,  do.  The  middle  scale  of  values 
facing  Page  20  is  expressed  only  in  grays,  and  is  known  as  the  Neutral 


Value  Scale,  but  it  would  be  possible  to  show  the  same  gradation  of  tints 
and  shades  of  any  Color,  ranging  from  the  palest  tint  you  can  imagine  to 
the  deepest  shade.  The  palest  tint  would  be  nearest  white,  and  the  dark- 
est shade  nearest  black. 

Black  and  white,  in  mixture,  give  us  neutral  grays, — that  is,  the  grays 
that  show  no  tinge  of  color.  If  to  white  we  add  a  touch  of  black,  we  shall 
produce  a  very  light  tint  of  gray.  If  we  add  more  black  we  shall  produce 
a  darker  gray.  Between  white  and  black  there  is  an  infinite  number 
of  steps  or  degrees  of  gray.  It  is  impossible  to  show  them  all,  so  a  scale 
of  seven  steps  has  been  adopted  as  the  standard  or  symbol  for  all  the 
grays  between  white  and  black.  Beginning  with  white,  these  steps  have 
been  named,  just  as  we  have  named  the  steps  in  the  musical  scale. 
(Facing  Page  9.) 

"Middle"  is  found  half  way  between  white  and  black. 

"Light"  is  between  "Middle"  and  White. 

"Low  Light"  is  between  "Middle"  and  "Light." 

"High  Light"  is  between  "Light"  and  White. 

"Dark"  is  between  "Middle"  and  Black. 

"Low  Dark"  between  "Dark"  and  Black. 

"High  Dark"  is  between  "Dark"  and  "Middle." 

When  we  wish  to  classify  and  name  the  Value  of  a  color  tone,  we 
may  do  so  by  comparing  the  lightness  or  darkness  of  that  Color  with  a 
step  in  the  Neutral  Value  Scale.  We  can  say  Red  at  High  Light,  if  we 
mean  a  pale  tone  of  red,  or  Red  at  High  Dark,  if  we  mean  a  tone  of  red 
that  is  a  little  darker  than  the  normal.  In  this  way  we  can  locate  the 
lightness  or  darkness  of  any  Color  tone. 

In  the  Value  Scale  shown  facing  page  9,  two  colors,  blue-green  and 
red-orange,  are  arranged  in  graded  tones  on  either  side  of  the  Neutral 
Scale.  Observe  that  both  of  these  colors  show  their  full  intensities  at 
Middle  Value.  There  are  other  colors,  however,  whose  full  intensities 
would  be  located  at  different  degrees  of  the  Value  Scale,  for  all  colors  at 
full  intensity  (as  seen  in  the  Chromatic  Circle)  are  not  of  the  same  value. 
For  example,  yellow  at  full  intensity  is  much  lighter  in  value  than  blue 
or  red  in  full  intensity.  Of  all  colors,  yellow  is  the  lightest  in  value  and 
violet  is  the  darkest.  Yellow  at  full  intensity  is  at  High  Light  in  value, 
and  violet  at  full  intensity  is  at  Low  Dark.    Lighter  tints  of  yellow 


[20] 


CHART  THREE 


\  ■ 


would,  therefore,  pass  out  of  the  range  of  the  scale  of  Neutral  Values 
which  is  shown  (facing  page  9).  Of  course,  the  number  of  steps  in  any 
Value  Scale  could  be  infinitely  increased,  as  a  color  "travels"  toward 
white  or  black,  and  new  terms  could  be  added  to  indicate  any  degree  of 
lightness  or  darkness  presented  by  a  color  tone. 

In  ordinary  usage,  however,  we  speak  of  the  Values  of  Color  as 
Tints  and  Shades  of  that  Color.  Any  tone  of  red,  for  example,  that  is 
lighter  than  normal  red,  is  a  Tint  of  red.  Any  tone  of  red  that  is  darker 
than  the  normal  is  a  Shade  of  red.  People  are  often  careless  in  their  use 
of  the  terms  Tint  and  Shade.  They  frequently  speak  of  light  shades  of 
a  color  when  they  really  mean  Tints.  The  term  "Tone"  includes  all 
Tints,  Shades  and  the  Normal  of  a  Color.  Therefore,  it  would  be  proper 
to  speak  of  many  Tones  of  blue,  for  instance,  ranging  from  pale  blue  to 
dark  blue,  when  the  word  "Shades"  used  in  this  sense  would  be  incor- 
rect. 

Tints  are  made  by  the  addition  of  white  (or  in  Water  Color  by  the 
addition  of  water)  to  a  normal  tone  of  Color.  Shades  are  made  by  the 
addition  of  black  to  the  normal  tone.  Chart  No.  Ill  shows  the  six  lead- 
ing Colors,  and  below  the  circle  are  given  the  Normal  and  two  Tints  of 
orange  and  blue.  Chart  No.  IV  shows  under  the  circle  a  Normal,  a  Tint 
and  a  Shade  of  two  Colors,  yellow  and  blue. 

The  idea  of  Tints  and  Shades  may  be  demonstrated  before  a  class  by 
using  the  Color  solutions  in  glasses  before  referred  to.  In  an  empty  glass, 
pour  a  little  of  the  strong  red,  yellow  or  blue  solution.  Add  water  to 
this,  until  a  distinctly  lighter  tone  is  observed.  Add  more  water  for  still 
lighter  Tints.  This  experiment  can  be  carried  as  far  as  desired,  until  no 
Color  is  discernible  in  the  water.  Into  another  empty  glass  pour  a  little 
of  the  normal  solution.  Add  a  little  black  (made  by  dissolving  two  hard 
cakes  in  water) .  This  fusion  of  black  with  the  normal  will  result  in  a 
Shade  of  the  Color.  Add  more  black  in  the  same  glass  or  in  another 
glass  until  a  number  of  Shades  of  the  Color  are  produced. 

The  making  of  Tints  and  Shades  of  the  Primary  and  Binary  colors 
through  the  use  of  Water  Color  washes  is  not  too  difficult  for  pupils  in 
third  and  fourth  grades.  There  are  many  interesting  exercises  involving 
the  use  of  different  Color  values  which  may  be  presented  to  young  stu- 
dents. It  is  recommended  that  in  grades  when  a  definite  study  is  made 
of  these  Color  qualities,  the  employment  of  Colors  for  decorative  pur- 


[21] 


poses  should  be  limited  to  the  Primaries  and  Binaries  with  their  Tints 
and  Shades,  in  combination  with  the  neutrals.  Limitations  stimulate  in- 
vention and  intensify  emphasis  upon  certain  specific  points. 

Interesting  landscape  effects  may  be  obtained  by  the  use  of  light  and 
dark  values  of  a  single  color.  A  pale  sky,  a  foreground  of  middle  value, 
suggesting  a  field  or  a  hillside,  with  tree  shapes  in  dark  value  rising 
against  the  light  sky,  would  be  effective  in  neutral  grays,  in  blues,  in 
greens,  or  in  any  other  color.  The  various  tints  and  shapes  of  colored 
papers  which  are  now  available  offer  a  fine  medium  for  such  arrange- 
ments. The  same  design  or  composition  can  be  carried  out  in  a  variety 
of  different  arrangements  of  values,  and  the  difference  in  effects  observed. 
An  understanding  of  the  different  results  produced  by  the  use  of  strong 
contrasts  of  value,  by  the  use  of  values  that  are  closely  related,  and  by  the 
use  of  different  colors  of  the  same  or  of  widely  different  values  is  most 
necessary  to  success  in  Design. 


[22} 


VELUOW 


NORMAL  COLORS,  TINTS  AMD  SHADES 


DARK    YELLOW  OARK  OREEIM 


CHART  FOUR 


Chapter  VI 


COMPLEMENTARY  COLORS  AND  HOW  TO  USE  THEM 

THE  Primary  and  Binary  Colors  as  they  appear  in  Charts  H  to 
V,  are  often  spoken  of  as  the  six  leading  Colors,  because  in  their 
individual  tones  they  express  the  principal  steps  or  stages  in  the 
passage  of  Colors  around  the  Chromatic  Circle. 
These  leading  Colors  have  different  relationships  to  each  other, 
just  as  a  verb  in  a  sentence  has  a  certain  relationship  to  a  noun  and  an- 
other relationship  to  an  adverb.   We  shall  speak  first  about  the  relation- 
ship which  Complementary  Colors  bear  to  each  other. 

The  three  Binaries,  orange,  green  and  violet,  are  each  made  by  com- 
bining equal  portions  of  two  Primaries.  Orange,  for  example,  is  made 
up  of  equal  parts  of  yellow  and  red.  In  orange,  therefore,  one  of  the  ele- 
ments of  color  is  lacking — the  element  of  blue.  Blue  is  the  one  thing 
needed  by  orange  to  complete  the  Color  circuit.  Blue  is  therefore  said 
to  be  Complementary  to  orange.  Again,  violet  is  made  up  of  equal  parts 
of  red  and  blue.  The  Color  element  lacking  in  violet  is  yellow.  There- 
fore, violet  and  yellow  are  Complementary  to  each  other.  Green  being 
made  of  a  combination  of  equal  parts  of  blue  and  yellow,  needs  red  to 
complete  the  circuit.  Therefore,  in  these  pigment  combinations,  red  and 
green  are  Complementary  to  each  other. 

Complementary  Colors  are  in  the  strongest  possible  contrast  to  each 
other.  You  cannot  think  of  a  Color  more  different  from  orange  than 
blue.  They  have  nothing  in  common.  They  are  as  unlike  as  it  is  pos- 
sible for  Colors  to  be.  Yet  they  have  the  peculiar  power  to  enhance  or 
enrich  each  other,  when  placed  near  together.  An  orange  sky,  at  sunset, 
will  "force"  the  blue  of  a  distant  building  or  of  far  hills;  a  red  apple  looks 
redder  when  it  nestles  among  the  green  leaves  of  the  tree,  and  a  violet 
hat  is  intensified  in  color  if  a  yellow  rose  is  placed  upon  it.  You  have 
doubtless  tried  the  experiment  of  gazing  intently  at  a  circle  of  strong  red 
Color,  placed  against  a  white  background.  If  you  suddenly  remove  the 
red  circle  and  still  continue  to  gaze  at  the  white  background,  a  green 


circle  will  appear.  The  eye  will  supply  the  complement  to  the  Color 
that  so  filled  it  a  moment  before.  Thus  it  is  demonstrated  that  certain 
Colors  seem  to  call  for  or  demand  certain  other  Colors.  The  study  of 
these  relationships  is  intensely  interesting,  and  a  knowledge  of  the  influ- 
ence of  one  Color  upon  another  can  be  made  of  much  practical  value. 

In  the  Color  Circle  shown  in  all  the  Charts  except  Chart  No.  I,  the 
Colors  are  so  arranged  that  Complementary  pairs  appear  at  opposite 
ends  of  the  same  diameters.  In  Chart  V,  for  example,  yellow  is  dia- 
metrically opposite  violet;  orange  is  opposite  blue,  and  green  is  opposite 
red.  Through  this  arrangement  in  this  and  in  the  Charts  that  follow,  it 
is  easy  to  select  the  various  Complementary  pairs. 

Though  when  placed  near  together.  Complementary  Colors  possess 
the  power  of  enriching  each  other,  in  mixture  the  effect  of  their  com- 
bination is  just  the  opposite.  If  in  an  empty  glass  we  pour  an  equal 
amount  of  orange  solution  and  blue  solution,  the  tone  produced  is  neither 
orange  nor  blue,  but  gray, — Neutral  Gray!  The  same  is  true  in  mix- 
tures of  equal  parts  of  yellow  and  violet,  and  of  red  and  green.  This 
explains  the  presence  in  Chart  V.  of  the  central  circle  of  Neutral  Gray. 
Observe  that  this  Neutral  Gray  circle  is  half  way  between  all  the  pairs 
of  Complementary  Colors  that  are  shown.  It  means  that  equal  portions 
of  two  colors  that  are  Complementary  to  each  other,  will,  in  mixture, 
completely  neutralize  each  other. 

In  our  work  we  can  utilize  this  scientific  fact,  in  a  variety  of  ways. 
If  equal  parts  of  a  Complementary  pair  of  Colors  will  produce  Neutral 
Gray,  a  smaller  proportion  of  one  Color  would  soften  or  "gray"  the 
other.  For  example,  if  we  wish  to  reduce  the  brightness  or  intensity  of  a 
green  tone,  in  paint,  we  add  a  little  red,  and  the  desired  effect  is  gained. 
Similarly,  we  soften  or  "gray"  a  too  brilliant  red,  by  adding  a  little  of 
its  complement,  green.  The  rectangle  of  gray-red  in  Chart  V.  was  pro- 
duced in  this  way.  So  were  the  other  rectangles,  labelled  respectively 
gray  green,  gray  yellow,  gray  violet,  gray  blue  and  gray  orange.  Each 
"grayed"  Color  was  produced  by  adding  a  bit  of  its  Complement. 

At  this  stage  of  the  definite  study  of  Color,  students  may  be  per- 
mitted to  use  Complementary  colors  in  decorative  arrangements.  If 
normal  tones  of  orange  and  blue,  violet  and  yellow,  or  red  and  green  are 
used,  it  should  be  in  small  quantities,  upon  backgrounds  of  black,  white 


Yeu-ow 


ORANGE  GREE^4 


)  PART  YEUOW      I  PART  VIOLET  NEUTRALGRAY 


I  PART  RED       »  PART  GREEN      NEUTRAL  CRAY  I  PART  BLUE       I  PART  ORANGE.       NEUTRAL  CRAY 


GRAY  REO  GRAY  GREEN  GRAY  YELLOW  CRAY  VIOLET 


BLUE.  ORANGE 


GRAY    BLUE.  GRAY  ORANGE 


CHART  FIVE 


I 


YELLOW 


VIOLET 


A  DEVICE  FOR  LOCATING  COMPLEMENTARY  PAIRS  OF  COLORS 


FIGURE  ONE 


or  gray,  or  in  some  other  form  of  combination  with  the  neutral  tones.  In 
the  popular  stick  printed  designs  upon  black,  white  or  gray  paper,  the 
full  strength  of  Complementary  Colors  may  be  used,  for  stick  printing 
is  limited  to  the  use  of  small  spots  of  Color,  and  these  can  be  perfectly 
balanced  by  the  judicious  use  of  Neutrals.  In  our  costumes,  however, 
nothing  could  be  more  hideous  than  glaring  combinations,  in  large  quan- 
tities, of  these  Complementary  pairs.  A  red  waist  with  a  skirt  of  normal 
green,  a  blue  suit  with  a  superabundance  of  orange  trimming,  or  a  velvet 
wrap  of  normal  violet  with  yellow  fur  trimming  would  offend  the  re- 
fined taste,  and  render  the  wearer  uncomfortably  conspicuous.  As  in 
everything  else,  a  little  Color  knowledge  is  a  dangerous  thing.  We 
should  "play  safe"  until  we  have  gained,  through  experience,  the 
knowledge  that  will  develop  judgment  and  will  also  develop  that  mys- 
terious but  highly  important  quality  which  we  call  taste. 

A  simple  device  for  locating  Complementary  pairs  of  Colors  is 
shown  in  Fig.  1.  A  pointer  has  been  cut  of  thin  cardboard  and  attached 
by  a  thumb-tack  to  the  center  of  the  Color  Chart.  This  pointer  turns 
easily  on  its  pivot  and  its  ends  indicate  the  different  pairs  of  Colors  that 
are  complementary  to  each  other. 


Chapter  VII 


NEIGHBORING  OR  ANALOGOUS  COLORS 

WE  can  see  that  each  of  the  six  leading  Colors — the  three  Pri- 
maries and  the  three  Binaries — possess  a  strongly  individual 
Color  characteristic.  It  is  easy  for  nearly  everyone  to  dis- 
tinguish yellow  from  orange,  orange  from  red,  and  red  from 

violet,  etc. 

This  distinguishing  Color  quality  is,  like  Value,  one  of  the  essential 
properties  or  qualities  of  Color.  We  speak  of  it  as  Hue.  It  is  Hue  that 
makes  yellow  distinguishable  from  orange,  or  that  enables  one  to  distin- 
guish blue  from  green.  We  know  that  in  the  world  about  us  there  are 
many  Hues  that  are  not  shown  in  our  Charts.  Let  us  see  if  we  can  find 
out  how  to  classify  and  name  these  different  Colors,  just  as  we  discov- 
ered in  Chapter  Five  how  to  classify  and  name  the  different  values  of 
Color. 

Chart  VI.  shows  six  more  Colors  than  have  been  given  in  the  five 
preceding  Charts.  You  will  notice  that  each  of  these  new  Colors  is 
placed  between  a  Primary  and  a  Binary,  in  the  Chart.  You  can  guess 
how  the  new  Color  is  made.  Equal  parts  of  the  Primary  Color  (as  for 
example,  yellow),  and  the  binary  color  (as  orange),  have  been  mixed 
to  produce  the  new  Color,  or  Hue  (for  example,  yellow-orange).  In 
this  way  were  formed  all  of  the  new  Hues  that  appear  in  the  Chart. 
They  are  named  yellow-orange,  red-orange,  red-violet,  blue-violet,  blue- 
green  and  yellow-green. 

In  actual  practice,  there  is  a  much  more  convenient  way  of  mixing 
the  different  Hues  of  Color.  This  is  suggested  by  the  Color  "equations," 
given  below  the  Chromatic  Circle  in  Chart  VI.  Imagine  that  each  Pri- 
mary Color  circle  in  the  Chart  is  made  up  of  four  equal  parts.  If  we  take 
three  parts  of  yellow  and  one  part  of  red,  we  shall  produce  the  same  re- 
sult that  we  found  in  mixing  equal  parts  of  orange  and  yellow, — yellow- 
orange.    If  we  take  three  parts  of  red  and  one  part  of  yellow,  the  result 


YCLLOW 


VELLOW-ORANOe 


PRIMARY  COLORS    BINARY  COLORS  AND  HUES 

3  PARTS    YELLOW  I  PART  RED        YCUJOwORANCe  3  PARTS  BLjUC  t  PARTREO  BLUE  VIOLET 

3  PARTS  RED  IPARTYEUOW        RED  ORANC&  ^^^PAR^^LU^^^        I  MRT  YEUAW        BLUE  CRE£N 

4-1 


PARTS  RED  I  PART  BLUE         RED  VIOUET  3  PARTS  YELLOW  I  PART  BLUE       YCLLOW  GREEN 

ANALOGOUS  COLOR  SCHELMES 


YEUOW  ORANGE  vt^^^^g 


REO  VIOLET 


GRAY 
Reo  VIOLET 


BLUE  GREEN  _  GRAY 


ORANGE 


GRAY  VIOLET  GREEN  GRAY  GREEN 


CHART  SIX 


will  be  red-orange.  Three  parts  of  red  and  one  part  of  blue  make  red- 
violet.  Three  parts  of  blue  and  one  part  of  yellow  make  blue-green. 
Three  parts  of  yellow  and  one  part  of  blue  make  yellow-green.  These 
Hues  are  named  from  the  Primary  Color  that  dominates  them.  The  act- 
ual mixing  and  spreading  of  these  different  Hues  of  Color  is  highly  es- 
sential to  a  thorough  understanding  of  their  origin  and  of  their  relation- 
ships. 

All  of  these  facts  about  Color,  interesting  as  they  are,  will  be  of 
small  service  to  us  unless  we  use  them.  That  is  what  all  knowledge  is 
for, — to  be  used!  Let  us  see  how  these  new  and  beautiful  Hues  of 
Color  can  be  made  helpful,  in  enriching  our  Color  vocabulary  and  in 
making  that  vocabulary  express  our  ideas  of  beautiful  Color  combina- 
tions. 

When  a  certain  Color  is  present  in  each  of  several  Hues,  as,  for  ex- 
ample, yellow  is  present  in  yellow,  orange  and  in  red-orange,  there  is  a 
certain  relationship  established,  just  as  exists  between  brothers  and  sisters 
of  the  same  family.  Yellow  is  a  **blood  relation"  of  any  other  Color  that 
contains  yellow.  It  is  not  a  "blood  relation"  of  red  or  blue.  Yellow,  red 
and  blue  are  the  founders  of  three  separate  and  distinct  families,  and 
they,  themselves,  have  nothing  in  common.  We  call  those  Colors  that 
contain  a  common  element  analogous.  In  the  Chart,  analogous  colors 
are  placed  as  neighbors  in  the  circle.  Because  of  this  position,  they  are 
sometimes  called  "neighboring"  or  analogous  Colors,  and  this,  also,  ex- 
presses their  relationship,  or  harmony  in  a  way  that  we  can  all  under- 
stand. 

Since  a  common  element  in  each  group  of  Colors  can  be  depended 
upon  to  produce  harmony  we  are  safe  in  choosing  Analogous  or  Neigh- 
boring Colors  for  a  Color  scheme.  This  explains  the  reason  for  the  ver- 
tical rows  of  Colors,  under  the  caption  "Analogous  Color  Schemes,"  in 
Chart  VI.  Yellow,  yellow-orange  and  orange,  in  full  intensity,  are 
given,  as  a  scheme  that  may  safely  be  used,  in  places  where  such  brilliant 
coloring  is  appropriate;  always  remembering  the  balance  that  must  be 
kept  by  using  these  intense  Colors  with  a  proper  amount  of  neutral  white, 
black  or  gray.  The  scheme  of  these  same  Colors,  grayed,  is  fully  as  beau- 
tiful, but  in  a  quite  different  way.  We  could  use  the  grayed  Colors  in 
much  larger  quantities,  as  in  room  furnishings  or  costumes,  and  feel 


that  we  had  not  offended  good  taste.  The  same  is  true  of  the  other  two 
groups  of  Analogous  Colors  given  in  the  Chart.  Intense  red,  red-violet 
and  violet  suggest  a  rich  and  gorgeous  scheme  for  certain  decorative  pur- 
poses. A  bed  of  dahlias  shows  us  these  same  colorings.  Plucked  from 
their  parent  stalks  and  arranged  in  a  vase  that  continues  or  completes  the 
wonderful  harmony,  their  decorative  value  in  a  room  is  enormous.  But 
who  would  think  of  hanging  bright  red  curtains  in  a  room  with  red-violet 
walls,  and  placing  in  that  same  room  a  rug  of  intense  violet  on  the 
floor?  The  grayed  scheme  of  violets,  however,  suggest  charming  effects 
for  costumes  or  furnishings. 

It  is  interesting  to  know  that  these  grayed  effects  are  produced  by 
adding  to  each  Color  a  little  of  its  complement.  In  the  last  chapter  we 
learned  that  each  Primary  had  its  Complement  in  a  Binary,  and  that 
these  pairs,  in  mixture,  neutralized  or  grayed  each  other.  In  this  larger 
Chromatic  Circle  (Chart  VI.)  each  Color  has  also  its  Complement, 
found  at  the  opposite  end  of  the  same  diameter.  For  example,  blue- 
violet  is  the  complement  of  yellow-orange;  yellow-green  is  the  comple- 
ment of  red-violet;  and  red-orange  is  the  complement  of  blue-green. 

While  to  produce  grayed  Color  the  law  of  adding  to  any  Color  a 
touch  of  its  Complement  holds  good  invariably,  the  designer  in  common 
practice,  usually  adds  black  to  any  Color  which  he  wishes  to  gray.  This 
is  a  "short  cut"  which  in  the  decorative  use  of  Color  it  is  quite  legiti- 
mate to  employ. 


YELLOW 


VIOLET 

A  DEVICE  FOR  LOCATING  A  COLOR  TRIAD 


FIGURE  TWO 


Chapter  VIII 


THE  COLOR  TRIA.D  AND  THE  SPLIT  COMPLEMENT 

A COLOR  SCHEME  is  a  group  of  Colors  harmoniously  related 
to  each  other,  and  which  is  suitable  for  use  in  a  design  or  in 
materials  of  any  kind.  Nature  furnishes  us  with  innumerable 
combinations  and  groups  of  Colors,  often  of  wonderful  interest 
and  beauty.  But  the  conditions  under  which  these  combinations  are  used 
in  Nature  are  not  the  conditions  that  we  are  under  when  we  try  to  fur- 
nish a  room  or  plan  a  costume.  Therefore,  a  blind  or  purely  imitative 
following  of  Nature's  schemes  will  often  lead  us  to  disaster,  in  our  appli- 
cations or  uses  of  Color. 

The  chief  value  of  employing  a  Color  Chart  in  determining  Color 
schemes  is  that  this  practice  makes  us  think  about  Color.  It  is  not 
enough  to  "feel"  the  beauty  of  certain  Color  combinations;  we  must 
think  as  well  as  feel,  and  be  able  to  give  reasons  for  our  Color  sensa- 
tions. The  more  we  think  about  Color  the  greater  will  be  the  develop- 
ment of  our  Color  sense,  and  the  more  will  we  be  able  to  enjoy  the  feel- 
ing and  emotions  that  are  produced  in  us  by  Color. 

Through  our  study  of  the  Chromatic  Circle  we  now  understand  that 
there  are  several  distinct  ways  of  combining  Colors,  each  of  which  can 
be  depended  upon  to  produce  beauty.  We  have  learned,  in  the  first 
place,  that  two  Primary  Colors  should  not  be  combined,  but  that  any 
one  Primary  in  any  degree  of  intensity,  may  be  combined  with  black, 
white  or  with  any  mixture  of  black  and  white, — in  other  words,  with 
Neutral  gray.   This  is  the  simplest  Color  scheming  that  we  know. 

We  next  found  that  any  one  Color  was  capable  of  an  infinite  num- 
ber of  Values,  and  that  any  two  or  more  Values  of  a  Color  could  be  safely 
used  together.  Such  a  group  is  called  a  self-toned  or  Monochromatic 
scheme.  It  is  always  safe,  always  unobtrusive,  never  as  interesting  as 
groups  that  contain  two  or  more  colors.  From  Tints  and  Shades  or 
Values  or  Color  we  take  the  next  and  vastly  more  significant  step  to  the 


use  of  Complementary  Color  schemes,  which  is  the  attainment  of  har- 
mony through  unlikeness,  or  contrast. 

When  we  use  a  pair  of  Complementary  Colors,  in  any  Value  or  in- 
tensity, we  really  combine  portions  of  the  three  Color  elements,  yellow, 
red  and  blue.  In  combining  blue  and  orange,  for  instance,  we  have  one 
element,  alone,  in  blue,  and  the  two  other  elements,  yellow  and  red,  in 
orange.  The  same  is  true  of  violet  and  yellow,  of  red  and  green,  and 
of  all  the  other  pairs  of  Complementary  Colors. 

It  is  true  that  the  eye  is  better  satisfied  with  a  group  of  Colors  that 
shows,  in  some  degree,  all  of  the  Color  elements.  In  our  Color  sensa- 
tions, the  presence  of  all  three  elements  seems  to  complete  the  Color  cir- 
cuit. Why  this  is  true,  we  cannot  here  explain.  It  must  be  accepted  as 
a  fact. 

There  are  other  ways  of  arriving  at  a  combination  of  the  three  Color 
elements  in  a  group.  One  of  these  is  through  the  use  of  a  Color  "triad." 
A  triad  is  a  union  or  group  of  three,  and  is  a  term  that  we  have  borrowed 
from  the  nomenclature  of  music.  We  cannot  take,  at  random,  any  selec- 
tion of  three  Colors  from  the  Chart;  the  Colors  of  our  choice  must  be  at 
equal  intervals  from  each  other.  This  again,  finds  an  analogy  in  music. 
The  device  of  the  equilateral  triangle  will  insure  an  equal  distance  be- 
tween our  color  steps.  (Fig.  2.)  If  we  place  the  triangle  with  its  apex 
on  yellow,  the  position  of  the  two  opposite  angles,  will  locate  the  other 
two  colors  in  our  scheme — red  and  blue  (Fig.  2).  If  we  turn  the  tri- 
angle on  a  pivot  to  the  left,  placing  its  apex  on  yellow-orange,  we  shall 
locate  another  and  more  interesting  triad, — yellow-orange,  red-violet 
and  blue-green.  Still  turning  our  triangle  to  the  left,  we  locate  the  triad 
of  binaries, — orange,  violet  and  green.  So,  in  our  journey  around  the 
dial  of  the  Colors,  we  can  locate  several  different  and  very  interesting 
groups,  all  resulting  in  a  Color  scheme  of  triads.  The  three  Colors  in 
each  group  may  be  used  together,  in  any  value  or  intensity,  with  white, 
black  or  neutral  gray,  and  can  be  depended  upon  to  produce  harmony. 

Another  means  of  arriving  at  a  Color  scheme  that  combines  in  still 
more  subtle  proportions,  the  three  elements  of  Color,  is  through  the  use 
of  the  "Split  Complement."  This  is  also  best  explained  and  used  by 
means  of  a  device.  (Fig.  3.)  An  isosceles  triangle,  (a  triangle  having 
two  equal  sides),  whose  base  is  equal  to  the  distance  between  the  centers 


YELLOW 


VIOLET 

A  DEVICE  FOR  LOCATING  A  SPLIT  COMPLEMENT 


FIGURE  THREE 


of  the  small  Color  circles,  is  placed  so  that  the  apex  is  at  violet,  for  in- 
stance. The  Complement  of  violet  is  yellow.  The  position  of  the  two 
opposite  angles  of  the  triangle  will  locate  a  Color  on  each  side  of  yel- 
low, yellow-orange  on  the  left  and  yellow-green  on  the  right.  The  three 
Colors,  yellow,  yellow-orange,  and  yellow-green  form  a  "Split"  Comple- 
ment. They  contain  all  the  elements  of  the  straight  Complement,  but  in 
different  proportions.  The  less  obvious  these  Color  elements  are,  the 
more  "quality"  do  the  different  tones  seem  to  possess. 

The  isosceles,  like  the  equilateral,  triangle  can  be  made  to  travel 
around  the  Color  Circle,  pointing  out  the  different  harmonies  of  Split 
Complements  that  are  possible  with  the  twelve  Colors  of  the  chromatic 
circle.  In  individual  or  class  room  practice,  the  actual  presence  on  the 
Chart  of  a  paper  triangle  will  greatly  assist  the  quick  detection  of  the  dif- 
ferent Colors  in  these  schemes.  The  experienced  designer  can  no  more 
dispense  with  his  Color  Chart  and  its  devices  than  can  the  musician  dis- 
pence  with  the  keyboard  of  his  piano. 


Chapter  IX 


COLORS  IN  VARIOUS  DEGREES  OF  INTENSITY— 
OR  GRAYED  COLORS 

THERE  are  three  modes  or  changes  through  which  a  Color  may 
pass.    Each  of  these  modes  affects  Color  quality.  Therefore,  we 
say  that  Color  has  three  properties,  or  dimensions,  by  means  of 
which  it  may  be  measured,  classified,  and  named.    The  first  of 
these  properties  we  call  Hue;  the  next.  Value;  the  third  Intensity.  Some 
authorities  speak  of  this  third  property  as  "Chroma." 

In  Charts  VI.  and  VII.  we  may  begin  at  any  Color,  as  yellow,  and 
pass  by  successive  changes  in  Hue  to  yellow-green,  to  green,  to  blue- 
green  and  so  on  around  the  circle.  It  is  the  change  in  Hue  that  makes 
this  passage  possible.  We  can  in  this  way  locate  any  Color,  as  to  its 
Hue,  by  reference  to  the  Color  Chart. 

We  have  learned,  also,  that  we  can  make  a  graded  scale  of  any  one 
Color,  in  its  passage  from  normal  to  light,  from  normal  to  dark,  or  from 
the  darkest  to  the  lightest  tone  of  that  Color.  This  property  of  light- 
ness or  darkness  we  have  learned  to  call  Value.  Every  Color  tone  must 
of  necessity  possess  the  property  of  Value,  and  this  quality  can  also  be 
classified  and  named,  by  reference  to  the  Value  Scale. 

Charts  VII.  and  VIII.  illustrate  the  third  property  of  Color, — In- 
tensity. In  passing  from  the  outer  circles  in  these  Charts  on  a  diameter 
to  the  center,  we  see  that  the  Color  tones  grow  less  bright,  less  intense. 
This  passage  from  bright  to  gray  is  what  we  mean  by  Intensity.  There 
are  as  many  different  degrees  of  Intensity  as  the  eye  can  detect.  These 
Charts  are  but  symbols  of  the  infinite  degrees  of  grayed  color,  just  as  the 
Value  scale  is  a  symbol  of  the  infinite  number  of  neutral  gray  tones  that 
can  be  produced.  Chart  VII.  shows  but  three  degrees  of  Intensity  of 
each  of  the  six  leading  Colors.  The  outer  circle  of  yellow,  for  example, 
is  in  full  strength,  or  full  Intensity,  as  we  say.  Immediately  under  it  is 
a  tone  of  yellow  whose  brightness  is  reduced  one-half.  This  we  call 
gray-yellow,  but  if  we  wished  to  be  scientifically  accurate  in  naming  it 


VEULOW 

VeLLOV*ORANGE  VKULOW- GREEN 


3  PARTS    YE.LLX>W     ADDED    TO  I  PART  VIOLET  MAKE   GRAY  YELLOW 


3    PARTS   ORANGE    ADDED    TO  I  PART    BLUE  MAKE    GRAY  ORANGE 


3   PARTS     RED      ADDED    TO  I  PART  GREEN  MAKE  GRAY  RED 


3   PARTS     BLUE    ADDEX>  TO  I  PART  ORAM GE  MAKE   GRAY  BLUE 


CHART  SEVEN 


we  should  call  it  yellow  at  one-half  intensity.  The  middle  circle  of 
Neutral  Gray  shows  what  will  happen  to  yellow  when  its  intensity  is  com- 
pletely neutralized.  All  of  its  individuality  is  gone,  and  it  has  become 
neutral  gray. 

In  previous  chapters  we  have  learned  that  a  Color  is  neutralized  or 
grayed  by  the  addition  of  its  complement.  The  schedule  of  Colors 
placed  below  the  Chromatic  Circle  in  Chart  VII.  gives  the  proportions 
that  were  used  to  produce  the  grayed  tones  shown  in  the  column  at  the 
right.  These  are  the  proportions  that  were  used  in  making  the  half- 
intense  tones  in  the  Color  Circle  above. 

Chart  VIII.  shows  on  its  outer  row  of  circles  all  the  twelve  Colors  in 
half-intensity.  Six  of  the  Colors  have  been  reduced  still  more,  and  are 
shown  in  one-quarter  intensity.  All  degrees  of  intensity  end  in  Neutral 
Gray. 

We  can  produce  absolute  neutrality,  as  we  have  seen,  by  mixing 
equal  strengths  of  Complementary  Colors.  If  we  add  less  than  an  equal 
amount  of  the  complement  to  a  Color,  we  shall  produce  some  degree 
of  grayness  of  that  Color. 

The  Color  schemes  given  below  the  Color  Circle  in  Chart  VIII. 
show  that  the  laws  of  Color  harmonies  exist  in  grayed  tones,  just  as  vi- 
tally as  they  do  in  schemes  of  intense  Colors.  We  may  use  Tints  and 
Shades  of  grayed  Colors  (See  Monochromatic  Color  Schemes,  in  Chart 
VIII.)  and  obtain  beautiful  effects.  So,  in  combining  the  Hues  of 
Color  in  analogous  schemes,  we  may  select  the  grayed  instead  of  the  in- 
tense tones,  according  to  our  purpose.  The  Complementary  Colors, 
grayed,  are  familiar  combinations. 

A  beginner  in  the  study  of  Water  Color  painting  once  drew  a  faith- 
ful outline  sketch  of  a  growth  of  a  red  rose.  She  desired  to  color  her 
drawing.  She  painted  the  flower  red,  from  the  red  cake  of  Color  in  her 
box,  and  the  leaves  green.  The  instructor  smiled  when  he  saw  her 
work.  "Your  rose  is  indeed  unlovely,"  he  said.  "Put  a  little  green  in 
your  red  and  a  little  red  in  your  green,  and  you  will  be  sure  of  har- 
mony." 


[33] 


Chapter  X 


THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  COLOR 

ANY  means  of  expressing  or  communicating  one's  thoughts  or 
feelings  may  be  called  a  language.  If,  in  using  spoken  or  writ- 
ten words,  we  understand  the  different  shades  of  meaning  that 
the  wonderful  English  language  represents,  we  shall  be  able  to 
express  our  ideas  accurately  and  beautifully.  People  will  enjoy  our 
speech,  if  we  convey  by  means  of  carefully  chosen  words,  exactly  the 
ideas  that  are  in  our  minds.  How  handicapped  we  feel,  when  we  can- 
not find  words  to  express  our  thoughts!  In  a  foreign  country,  we  may  be 
greatly  embarrassed  because  we  cannot  convey,  in  the  language  of  the 
realm,  an  idea  of  our  simplest  needs.  We  cannot  ask  the  way  to  the  sta- 
tion, or  tell  the  waiter  what  we  would  like  to  eat,  without  subjecting  our- 
selves to  ridicule.    Such  a  situation  makes  us  most  uncomfortable. 

So  in  the  realm  of  Color,  we  either  bungle  and  jumble,  or  else  we 
hesitate  and  fail  to  express  ourselves,  for  fear  of  making  mistakes.  Yet 
a  knowledge  of  the  marvelous  language  of  Color  is  within  the  reach  of 
all,  and  with  this  knowledge  will  come  a  freedom  and  delight  in  the 
use  of  Color. 

All  that  we  have  learned  in  our  study  of  the  Color  Charts  in  this 
book  will  help  us  to  express  ideas  about  Color.  Yet  there  is  another 
phase  of  Color  study  which  the  Charts  cannot  touch.  This  "inner 
shrine"  of  Color  we  may  call  its  psychology.  We  understand  that  psy- 
chology in  general  has  to  do  with  spiritual  laws  rather  than  with  physi- 
cal science. '  So,  quite  apart  from  a  consideration  of  the  sources  of  Color 
and  of  its  component  parts,  its  properties  or  dimensions  and  even  of  its 
harmonies  is  the  question  of  the  effects  that  different  Colors  exert  upon 
our  feelings  and  emotions.  Why,  for  instance,  is  red  a  more  exciting  Color 
than  blue?  Why  are  orange  and  yellow  stimulating,  and  blue  and  green 
quieting?  Why  do  we  feel  cheered  and  enlivened  by  light  tones  of 
Color  and  depressed  and  weighted  down  by  dark  tones?  Why  do  we 
speak  of  some  Colors  as  "warm"  and  of  other  Colors  as  "cool,"  when 


[34] 


there  is  no  physical  sensation  of  heat  or  cold?  Why  are  yellow,  orange 
and  red  called  "advancing"  colors  and  blue  and  violet  "retreating" 
colors?  All  these  and  many  other  questions  are  answered  in  the  study  of 
Color  psychology. 

The  human  eye  loves  Color.  Whether  they  know  it  or  not,  all 
people  react  or  respond  to  the  influence  of  Color.  The  degree  of  their 
reaction  varies  greatly,  for  some  people  are  naturally  much  more  sensi- 
tive to  Color  than  others.  But  all  are  susceptible  to  its  influence.  Color 
has  power  to  attract  attention,  to  stimulate  emotion,  to  cheer  and  ani- 
mate, or  to  quiet  and  subdue. 

Each  Color  has  a  meaning.  It  exerts  upon  us  its  own  particular 
influence,  different  from  the  influence  of  other  Colors.  Let  us  analyze 
a  few  of  the  Colors  in  our  Charts,  and  try  to  find  out  something  about 
their  psychological  attributes. 

Of  all  the  Color  elements,  we  can  see  that  yellow  most  closely  re- 
sembles light.  We  speak  of  it  as  "sunny,"  and  we  feel  its  cheerful,  buoy- 
ant personality.  We  recall  the  hopeful  forsythia  of  early  spring,  the 
cheerful  buttercups,  the  jocund  daffodils — immortalized  by  Wordsworth 
— the  sunny  dandelion  and  a  host  of  other  yellow  flowers,  bearing  a  par- 
ticular message  of  light  and  cheer,  because  they  are  yellow!  Yellow  is 
the  symbol  of  the  sun,  with  its  life-giving  radiance  and  its  power  to  dis- 
pel gloom.  Let  us  remember  this  psychological  quality  of  yellow,  when 
we  paint  and  paper  a  room  that  has  insufficient  light  from  outside.  Any 
Color  scheme  containing  a  dominant  note  of  yellow,  as  shown  in  a  "trim" 
of  ivory  white,  gray  yellow-orange  walls,  a  creamy  ceiling  and  a  light 
brown  rug,  will  reflect  all  the  light  that  comes  in  through  the  window 
and  will  seem  to  add  a  certain  element  of  light,  all  its  own. 

Red,  the  second  Color  element,  gives  us  the  feeling  of  vitality  and 
warmth.  It  is  the  symbol  of  action  and  of  courage.  "Called  to  the 
Colors"  is  a  significant  phrase,  and  we  may  be  sure  that  the  "Colors" 
contain  a  strong  element  of  red,  as  in  our  own  flag.  Red  stimulates 
and  excites.  When  we  are  stirred  with  strong  emotions,  the  red  blood 
leaps  from  our  hearts  and  flames  in  our  cheeks.  Red  is  stronger  in 
its  attractive  force  than  yellow  and  it  supplies  an  element  of  thought  of 
heat,  which  is  lacking  in  yellow.  Who  has  not  felt  the  cockles  of  his 
heart  warm  and  expand  before  an  open  fire?   In  a  room  otherwise  dark 


[35] 


and  gloomy,  it  seems  a  living  thing.  The  people  of  the  house  draw  near 
to  it.  The  cat  curls  up  before  it.  The  dog  draws  a  long  breath  of  con- 
tent and  stretches  his  head  toward  it.  It  is  partly  the  crackle  and  th" 
heat  but  it  is  most  of  all  the  warm,  vital  color  of  the  flames  that  attracts 
and  cheers  us.  Sir  Gilbert  K.  Chesterton  has  expressed  our  attitude  to- 
ward an  open  fire  in  these  characteristic  words: 

"A  queer  fancy  seems  to  be  current  that  an  open  fire  exists  to  warm 
people!  It  exists  to  warm  their  hearts,  to  light  their  darkness,  to  raise 
their  spirits,  to  toast  their  muffins,  to  air  their  rooms,  to  cook  their  chest- 
nuts, to  tell  stories  to  their  children,  to  make  checkered  shadows  on  their 
walls,  to  boil  their  hurried  kettles,  and  to  be  the  red  heart  of  a  man's 
house  and  hearth,  for  which  as  the  great  heathen  said,  a  man  should 
die." 

We  can  easily  see  why  it  is  that  red  is  called  a  "warm"  Color,  and 
why  all  Colors  that  contain  red  as  a  constituent  seem  to  be  warmed  by 
its  presence.  Therefore,  in  our  costumes  and  furnishings  we  should 
remember  the  psychology  of  red.  Too  much  of  it,  as  in  a  bright  red 
waist  or  coat,  will  render  the  wearer  unpleasantly  conspicuous,  and 
might  irritate  to  a  dangerous  degree  a  person  of  super-sensitive  temper- 
ament! In  a  room  where  much  coziness  and  warmth  is  desired,  as  in 
a  library,  red  tones  might  with  discretion,  be  employed;  but  in  a  din- 
ing room  already  warmed  by  light  from  south  windows,  red  as  a  dom- 
inating factor  in  the  color  scheme  would  be  disastrous,  especially  on  a 
hot  day! 

The  third  element  of  Color,  blue,  has  a  distinct  individuality.  It  is 
not  sunny,  it  is  not  warm,  it  is  not  aggressive.  Blue  i  s  everything 
which  red  and  yellow  are  not.  It  is  cold,  quiet  and  reserved.  We  speak 
of  the  icy,  blue  stillness  of  the  far  North;  of  cold,  steely  blue  eyes; 
of  having  "the  blues"  when  we  are  conscious  of  a  lack  of  enthusiasm 
over  life's  afifairs.  Blue,  as  we  have  learned,  neutralizes,  or  grays  its  op- 
posite, orange.  Blue  is  modest  and  retiring,  like  the  blue  forget-me-not 
and  the  fringed  gentian  that  only  blooms  in  secluded  places.  Because 
of  its  quietness  and  restraint,  blue  has  a  large  place  in  our  schemes  of 
house  furnishing,  costuming  and  commercial  designing.  It  is  a  balance 
wheel  for  yellow  and  red.  Often  we  desire  to  furnish  a  room  in  very 
quiet  tones,  as  in  a  bedroom;  or  we  need  a  room  of  extreme  formality. 


COLORS    IN   ONE-HALF  AND  IN   ONE-FOURTH  INTENSITIES 

MONOCHROMATIC   COLOR  SCHEMES 


LIGHTER 
GRAY  ORANr,F 


GRAY  GREEN 


OAR  K 
GRAY  GR  EEN 


DARKER 
GRAY  GREEN 


COLOR • S 

CHEIv 

ES    

GRAY  VIOLET 


GRAY  ORANGE 


grIy 

red  or amge 


GRAY  YELLOW         „^  ^'^'^^ 

YELLOW  ORANGE 

COMPUEMENXARY     COLOR  SCHEMES 


GRAY  ORANGE 


GRAY   YELLOW  OREEM 


GRAY   RED  VIOLET 


GRAY  BLUE 


GRAY  ORANGE 


CHART  EIGHT 


as  a  parlor  for  state  occasions  or  a  drawing  room.  In  such  instances, 
we  may  well  select  blue  as  the  dominating  note  in  our  scheme. 

Since  the  three  elementary  Colors  are  so  different  in  their  effect 
upon  our  emotions,  it  is  interesting  to  see  the  psychological  result  of  mix- 
tures. The  Binary  Colors  may  be  cited  as  examples.  Orange  is  not  so 
light  as  yellow,  nor  so  aggressive  as  red,  yet  it  partakes  of  the  nature  of 
both  yellow  and  red.  It  has  strong  decorative  quality,  and  it  is  of 
course  classed  with  the  warm  colors.  A  small  amount  of  intense  orange, 
such  as  is  supplied  by  a  bowl  of  nasturtiums,  a  bit  of  embroidery  or  a 
piece  of  pottery  will  often  redeem  a  room  that  is  too  blue,  or  too  mo- 
notonously brown.  But  it,  like  any  other  intense  color  must  be  controlled 
and  balanced  by  large  areas  of  subdued  color  tones. 

Green,  the  combination  of  yellow  and  blue,  shows  the  psychological 
tendencies  of  both  components.  It  is  lighter  and  more  cheerful  than 
blue,  in  effect,  and  has  more  dignity  and  repose  than  yellow.  Green  is 
restful  to  the  eyes  and  nerves,  is  a  relief  from  the  warmth  and  heat  of  the 
summer  sun,  and  is  not  depressing.  In  a  south  room,  where  there  is 
more  than  a  necessary  amount  of  light  and  heat,  green  hangings  and 
furnishings  are  most  agreeable. 

Violet  is  a  combination  of  the  vital  aggressive  Color,  red,  and  the 
cold  and  dignified  color  blue.  In  equal  quantities,  these  forces  very  nearly 
neutralize  each  other,  but  according  to  the  predominance  of  red  or  blue, 
violet  may  be  warm  or  cold,  in  its  effect.  Violet  is  the  Color  that  is 
nearest  to  black,  in  value,  and  in  its  influence  on  our  feelings.  We  can 
understand  its  use  as  "half-mourning."  Violet  and  purple  have  al- 
ways been  associated  with  royal  majesty,  and  have  been  accepted  as  the 
sign  of  imperial  power.  The  toga  of  the  Emperor  in  ancient  Rome,  or 
of  any  conqueror,  in  the  day  of  his  triumph,  was  purple.  Violet  in  its 
darker  tones  denotes  seriousness  or  solemnity.  In  its  tints,  which  we  call 
"lavender,"  "lilac,"  etc.  there  is  a  distinctly  feminine  quality  marked  by 
delicacy  and  refinement.  It  is  perhaps  less  used  decoratively,  than  any 
other  color. 

Starting  with  yellow  at  the  top,  the  Colors  of  the  chromatic  circle 
fall  into  two  groups :  the  warm  colors  on  the  left,  and  the  cool  colors 
on  the  right.  We  see,  then,  that  certain  groups  of  Analogous  Colors,  as 
yellow-orange,  orange,  and  red-orange,  will  produce  effects  that  are  like 


these  colors, — warm,  rich,  aggressive  and  of  compelling  force.  Other 
groups,  such  as  blue-green,  blue  and  blue-violet,  will  produce  effects 
that  are  like  them, — quiet,  restful,  serene.  Certain  groups,  as  the  Com- 
plementary pairs,  will  present  both  warm  and  cool  elements,  as  orange 
and  blue.  With  such  definite  knowledge  as  this,  we  should  be  able  to 
"prescribe"  color  schemes  for  different  purposes  and  occasions,  and  to 
do  so  with  intelligence  and  with  confidence  as  to  results. 


Chapter  XI 


COLOR  HARMONIES  IN  COSTUME 

TO  reach  its  highest  use,  Art  must  be  practical.  Unless  we  can 
apply  our  knowledge  of  Color  to  the  common  activities  of  life, 
we  miss  the  largest  benefit  and  the  greatest  joy  that  such  knowl- 
edge can  give.  The  clothes  that  we  wear  proclaim  our  knowl- 
edge or  our  ignorance  of  the  laws  of  Color  harmonies,  for  clothes  cannot 
be  separated  from  Color,  and  we  must  of  necessity  select,  buy  and  wear 
them.  Although  the  question  of  Color  is  by  no  means  unimportant  in  its 
relation  to  the  clothes  worn  by  men,  we  shall  discuss  first  the  question 
of  Color  as  an  element  in  the  costumes  of  women. 

In  planning  or  selecting  a  costume  for  a  woman,  the  first  consider- 
ation is  the  person  herself.  Is  she  tall  or  short,  stout  or  slender,  dark- 
skinned  or  light,  full-colored  or  pale,  with  dark,  light  or  "middle" 
hair?  What  is  her  temperament?  Is  she  aggressive,  retiring,  positive  or 
negative,  vivacious  or  sedate? 

After  these  questions  have  been  settled,  we  may  bring  out  our  Color 
Chart,  and  try  to  relate  our  knowledge  of  Color  harmonies  to  our  sub- 
ject. Every  costume  is  in  the  beginning  a  problem  in  design,  and  one  of 
the  most  important  factors  in  the  problem  is  the  question  of  Color.  We 
shall  find  that  all  of  the  scientific  facts  that  we  have  accumulated  about 
Color  will  come  to  our  aid,  and  will  help  us  to  arrive  at  a  safe  con- 
clusion. 

One  of  the  first  harmonies  of  which  we  learned  was  the  harmony 
resulting  from  the  combination  of  one  intense  Color  with  white,  black 
or  gray.   Let  us  see  how  this  applies  to  costume. 

As  a  general  proposition,  white  is  becoming  to  the  great  majority  of 
people,  and  black  is  unbecoming  to  just  as  many.  The  reason  for  this 
is  that  white  does  not  absorb  color,  and  when  worn  next  to  the  face,  white 
permits  the  skin,  the  eyes,  the  hair,  to  appear  at  their  full  color  value. 
For  this  reason,  white  makes  a  charming  setting  for  the  face,  the  hair, 
the  eyes.    The  whole  head  becomes  the  center  of  interest.    This  is  as  it 


should  be,  for  costume  should  act  as  a  foil,  to  enhance  attractiveness  of 
the  face,  which  is  the  seat  of  personality.  Black  does  just  the  opposite. 
It  soaks  up  or  absorbs  Color,  and  robs  the  complexion  of  its  subtle  Col- 
or tones,  leaving  it  pale  and  gray.  We  should  dismiss  from  our  minds, 
forever,  the  idea  that  black  is  particularly  suitable  for  people  whose 
coloring  is  light  toned,  faded  or  gray.  These  are  the  very  persons  who 
should  avoid  black,  next  to  the  face,  or  in  large  quantities,  in  a  cos- 
tume. For  them  there  are  the  beautiful  gradations  of  colors,  shown  in 
Chart  VIII.,  whose  relationships  to  each  other  and  to  the  wearer  are  so 
interesting  and  so  important.  The  truth  is  that  if  black  costumes  are  to 
be  worn  at  all,  it  should  be  by  persons  of  brilliant  coloring,  whose 
glowing  faces,  bright  eyes  and  shining  hair  can  more  succesfully  com- 
bat the  depredations  of  the  robber  black! 

Black  and  white  when  used  together  in  a  costume  create  the  strongest 
possible  contrast  if  employed  in  equal  or  nearly  equal  quantities.  This 
makes  the  wearer  most  conspicuous.  But  a  touch  of  black  or  white,  or 
both,  will  often  give  accent  or  emphasis  to  a  costume  that  might  other- 
wise be  tame.  In  a  dark  costume,  a  white  collar  will  aid  in  attracting 
interest  to  the  face,  where  interest  should  center.  White  gloves  and 
shoes  worn  with  a  dark  gown  or  coat  will  also  attract  the  eye  to  those 
extremities.  It  is  true  that  white  shoes  and  a  white  feather  on  the  hat 
will  increase  the  apparent  height  of  a  figure,  when  worn  with  a  dark 
costume,  for  the  eye  seeks  out  the  patches  of  white  and  establishes  its 
own  line  between  them.  Strong  contrasts  of  Values  or  of  Color  tones 
always  pull  the  eye  in  their  direction,  and  must  be  used,  in  costume  de- 
sign, with  the  truth  of  this  statement  borne  in  mind. 

In  choosing  a  Color  scheme  for  a  costum.e,  one  should  endeavor  to 
determine  her  own  personal  scheme  of  Colors, — that  which  was  given 
her  by  Nature — and  she  should  build  upon  this  as  a  foundation.  Sup- 
pose, for  example,  that  I  have  dark  brown  hair,  dark  eyes  and  a  "dark" 
complexion.  I  am  to  be  classed  with  the  family  of  "oranges,"  for  all 
browns  are  grayed  tones  of  oranges  and  reds.  I  must  turn,  then,  to 
Chart  VIII.,  and  look  for  suggestions  for  my  costume  at  the  lovely 
grayed  yellow-oranges,  oranges,  and  red-oranges.  The  law  of  comple- 
mentary Colors  tells  me  that  I  may  also  cross  the  circle  and  browse 
among  the  blues,  the  blue-greens  and  the  blue-violets,  possibly.  My  Value 


[40] 


scale  reminds  me  that  there  are  many  Tints  and  Shades  of  both  oranges 
and  blues,  and  so,  according  to  my  requirements,  I  may  choose  a  light 
toned  costume  from  these  Colors  for  evening  wear,  a  dark  toned  for 
street  and  business,  or  a  middle  toned  for  my  spring  suit.  To  relieve 
the  monotony  of  these  solid  tones,  I  may  choose  trimmings  or  accessories 
of  intense  Color.  These  I  may  w^ear  in  my  hat,  in  jewels,  in  bright  em- 
broidery, in  a  string  of  beads,  or  in  a  bag.  I  am  also  free  to  use  white  or 
black,  or  both,  with  any  of  these  tones.  Furs  may  also  be  made  to  help 
me  in  my  problem.  They  may  be  white  or  black  or  toned  with  my 
costume,  according  to  its  needs. 

If  my  eyes  are  blue  and  my  hair  is  yellow,  I  may  probably  identify 
myself  with  the  Complementary  pair  yellow  and  violet,  or  with  any 
Analogous  schemes  containing  these  two  Colors,  although  I  must  always 
remember  that  the  Color  and  quality  of  my  skin  has  fully  as  much  to 
do  with  selecting  a  Color  scheme  as  does  the  Color  of  eyes  and  hair.  If 
my  hair  is  auburn  or  reddish,  I  must  remember  the  effect  of  green  upon 
these  warm  shades.  I  know  I  shall  be  safe  in  "toning"  my  costume  with 
my  hair,  and  in  selecting  accessories  and  "notes"  that  will  relieve  my 
costume,  and  keep  it  from  monotony.  Thus  does  the  Color  Chart  come 
to  my  aid,  when  I  am  seeking  to  solve  the  ever  present  and  always  inter- 
esting problem  of  dress. 

Light  tones  of  all  Colors  indicate  cheerfulness,  gayety,  youthful- 
ness,  and  buoyancy.  This  is  why  we  instinctively  select  light  values  for 
evening  wear.  Middle  values  of  the  grayed  Colors  as  a  substitute  for 
dark  blues,  greens  and  browns  are  sought  by  those  who  know  how  to 
tempt  youth  to  linger  beyond  its  appointed  time,  and  white  is  seen  to 
play  an  important  part  in  the  "make-up"  of  these  costumes. 

A  Color  is  emphasized,  frequently  by  the  presence  of  a  touch  of 
the  same  Color  in  another  part  of  the  costume.  Eyes  that  are  blue,  but 
too  light,  may  be  deepened  by  a  touch  of  blue  trimming  near  the  face. 
Jewels  and  beads  may  be  used  to  bring  out  latent  color  in  this  way.  A 
color  that  is  much  grayed  can  be  enlivened  by  an  accent  of  its  comple- 
ment. A  light  neutral  gray  or  a  white  dress  makes  a  background 
against  which  any  jewel  or  apy  Color  can  be  worn  with  fine  effect. 

The  rigid  conventions  that  control  the  costumes  of  men  make  it  al- 
most impossible  to  express  any  but  the  most  limited  Color  harmonies  in 


[41] 


the  selection  of  their  clothes.  Black,  dark  blue,  brown  and  a  variety  of 
sober  grays  are  almost  the  only  choices  that  are  open  to  men.  In  sum- 
mer a  wider  range  is  offered  in  the  various  light  grays,  tan  and  white 
materials.  The  vogue  for  these  lighter  tones  has  greatly  increased  of 
late.  This  is  much  to  be  desired,  for  what  has  been  said  regarding  the 
general  effect  of  light  tones  upon  the  wearer  applies  to  men  as  well  as  to 
women.  If  the  introduction  of  a  wider  range  of  "lively"  gray  mixtures 
in  suits  for  men's  general  wear  could  be  accomplished,  another  step  in  the 
right  direction  would  be  taken.  At  present,  a  man  may  express  his  ap- 
preciation of  Color  harmony  only  in  the  choice  of  his  scarf.  Limited 
though  his  opportunities  may  be,  the  principles  of  color  harmony,  hereto- 
fore explained,  should  be  followed.  A  man  is  often  judged  by  the  tie 
that  he  wears! 


Chapter  XII 


COLOR  HARMONIES  IN  INTERIOR  DECORATIONS 

A DEPARTMENT  store  in  a  large  town  recently  displayed  in 
a  show  window  a  number  of  so-called  Japanese  vases.  They 
were  about  fourteen  inches  high,  of  fairly  good  proportion 
and  they  were  decorated.  The  decorations  were  of  the  "decad- 
ent" Japanese  type,  made  for  the  American  market.  They  consisted  of 
realistic  pictures  of  birds,  flowers,  butterflies,  fishes,  clouds,  mountains 
and  a  variety  of  landscape  effects,  painted  on  backgrounds  of  "shaded" 
red,  violet,  green  and  other  colors.  A  card  in  the  window  conveyed  the 
information  that  these  vases  would  be  sold  at  the  opening  hour  on  a  cer- 
tain day  at  the  astoundingly  low  price  of  one  dollar!  Long  before  the 
hour  designated,  the  sidewalk  in  front  of  the  store  was  crowded  with 
would-be  buyers.  When  the  doors  swung  open,  the  people  rushed  to  the 
sale  counters  and  each  one  seized  as  many  of  the  vases  as  he  could  carry, 
eager  to  pay  his  money  for  what  he  considered  beautiful.  A  teacher  of 
Art,  who  had  seen  the  display  in  the  window  and  had  hoped  that  the 
vases  would  find  few  purchasers,  was  much  discouraged  that  the  stand- 
ards of  the  public  taste  proved  to  be  so  low. 

"How  can  these  people  like  them?"  she  said.  "For  years  we  have 
taught  Art  in  the  schools,  probably  to  these  very  people,  and  apparently 
we  have  made  no  impression  on  them." 

The  friend  to  whom  she  expressed  her  disappointment  remarked 
that  the  case  was  not  so  hopeless  as  it  seemed. 

"It  would  be  worse  if  they  had  no  interest  whatever  in  vases,"  he 
said.  "They  are  willing  to  pay  their  dollars  for  what  to  them  is  beauti- 
ful. What  they  need  is  training  and  instruction,  that  their  standards  may 
be  raised.  That  is  the  important  thing.  Our  instruction  in  the  past  has 
not  equipped  these  people  to  discriminate  between  good  and  bad  design, 
nor  to  analyze  color  schemes.  They  have  no  standards  other  than  real- 
ism, and  they  see  no  reason  why  realism,  so  beautiful  in  nature,  is  not  al- 
so beautiful  upon  these  vases." 


9 


The  people  who  bought  the  unlovely  vases  expressed  by  their  act 
their  ignorance.  Every  purchaser  of  any  article  inevitably  expresses 
himself.  Our  clothes,  our  houses,  the  things  with  which  we  surround  our- 
selves, speak  eloquently  of  what  we  are.  We  cannot  disguise  our  stand- 
ards of  taste.  It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  us  as  individuals,  and  to 
America  as  a  Nation,  that  our  ability  to  appreciate  the  good  in  any 
manufactured  object  or  commodity  is  constantly  trained  and  developed 
so  that  our  standards  of  taste  both  as  individuals  and  as  a  Nation,  may 
become  better  and  better,  as  we  know  more  about  beauty. 

The  instinct  for  a  beautiful  home  is  present  in  all  of  us.  If  this 
instinct  is  guided  and  developed,  a  vast  improvement  in  the  homes  of 
the  people  will  result.  "I  have  always  felt"  said  the  great  English 
statesman,  Disraeli,  "that  the  best  security  for  civilization  is  in  the 
dwelling;  and  that  upon  properly  appointed  and  becoming  dwellings 
depends  more  than  anything  else  the  improvement  of  mankind." 

A  definite  knowledge  of  the  properties,  the  harmonies  and  the  psy- 
chology of  Color  is  nowhere  more  useful  than  in  house  furnishing. 
When  ought  one  to  use  warm  Colors,  what  will  be  the  effect  of  cool  Col- 
ors, where  are  advancing  Colors  desirable,  what  is  the  function  of  retreat- 
ing Colors,  what  scheme  should  be  used  in  a  north  bedroom  or  in  a  sunny 
dining  room,  or  transversely,  in  a  north  dining  room  and  in  a  sunny  bed- 
room, what  Colors  will  cause  a  room  to  look  larger,  what  colors  will  stim- 
ulate, what  colors  will  soothe,  where  should  light  values  be  used  and 
what  would  be  the  efifect  of  placing  dark  values  in  their  places?  All 
these  questions  can  be  settled  through  the  intelligent  use  of  Color  in  its 
relation  to  the  furnishing  of  our  houses. 

Most  people  understand  that  curtains,  rugs  and  the  upholstery  of 
furniture  are  important  Color  factors  in  house  furnishing;  but  they  do 
not  always  consider  that  the  Color  a  room  already  has,  before  a  single 
atom  of  "furnishing"  is  put  in  it,  has  a  great  deal  to  do  with  the  ultimate 
effect.  The  Color  tones  of  walls,  floors,  ceiling,  woodwork  or  trim, 
lighting  fixtures  and  window  shades  are  quite  as  important  elements  in 
the  creation  of  a  harmonious  room  interior  as  are  the  "brought  in"  fur- 
nishings. Also,  there  is  the  question  of  location,  as  affecting  the  light 
from  outside.  North  windows  will  bathe  the  room  in  cool,  blue  light, 
while  the  light  that  enters  from  south  windows  will  be  yellow  or  golden 


in  tone.  A  knowledge  of  Color,  not  only  of  Color  harmonies,  but  of  other 
properties  of  Color,  will  help  to  solve  the  problem  of  properly  furnish- 
ing the  different  rooms  in  our  houses.  Perhaps  no  other  Color  "law" 
will  be  a  better  foundation  for  us  to  build  on  than  the  law  of  back- 
grounds, for  a  room  is  really  a  background  or  a  series  of  backgrounds 
created  for  the  sole  purpose  of  providing  a  setting  for  the  various 
phases  of  family  life. 

The  walls  of  a  room  are  obviously  a  background  against  which  must 
be  seen  the  furniture,  the  pictures,  the  hangings  and,  last  but  not  least, 
the  people  who  live  in  the  room.  Therefore  the  walls  must  occupy  a 
subordinate  place, — not  unimportant,  but  subordinate. 

Dark  backgrounds  tend  to  make  a  room  look  smaller  and  light 
tones  seem  to  make  the  walls  expand.  In  Color  tones,  the  walls  should 
be  related  to  the  trim,  the  furniture  and  the  hangings.  Warm  tans  or 
grayed  tints  of  orange  are  harmonious  with  chestnut  or  other  brown 
tones  of  wood.  Gray-green  walls,  in  light  value  might  be  used  with 
greenish  tones  of  wood  or  paint.  White  walls  seem  to  reflect  light  and 
are  trying  to  the  eyes,  besides  creating  too  violent  contrasts  between  fur- 
niture, rugs,  etc.  Intense  Colors  should  never  be  used  upon  walls,  as  they 
should  always  be  more  subdued  than  the  shapes  which  are  seen  against 
them. 

In  choosing  wall  papers,  a  quiet  tone  or  pattern  showing  little  or 
no  contrast  in  values  is  better  than  a  paper  showing  a  decided  pattern; 
a  light  figure  on  a  dark  background,  or  the  reverse.  As  walls  are  always 
to  be  flat,  any  treatment  that  disturbs  or  interferes  with  the  effect  of  flat- 
ness is  to  be  avoided.  For  this  reason,  realistic  roses,  trailing  vines  or 
vistas  of  landscapes  on  our  walls  are  evidences  of  ignorance. 

Floors  are  subject  to  the  general  laws  that  govern  backgrounds. 
Floors  are  to  be  walked  on  and  any  decorative  element  that  suggests  the 
opposite  of  flatness  is  a  transgression  of  the  law.  This  settles  the  question 
of  realistic  garlands,  roses,  water  lillies  in  pond,  animals,  etc.,  on  rugs  and 
carpets.  Sharp  contrasts  of  light  and  dark  should  also  be  avoided  here, 
as  these  effects  attract  undue  attention  and  appear  to  make  the  rug  or 
carpet  "come  up"  from  the  floor.  In  general  Value  the  floor  covering 
should  be  darker  than  the  walls,  and  in  Hue  or  Color  tone  it  should  be 
related  to  the  walls  and  to  the  furnishing. 

The  ceiling  should  be  distinctly  lighter  than  the  walls  but  it  should 


be  related  to  them  in  tone — for  example,  a  cream  or  light  buff  ceiling 
should  be  used  with  tan  or  light  gray  orange  walls.  The  presence  of  a 
common  Color  in  floor,  woodwork,  walls  and  ceiling  will  bring  them 
into  harmonious  relationship.  For  instance,  in  a  scheme  showing 
brownish  tones  in  the  floor,  ivory  white  trim,  light  gray  orange  walls 
and  a  cream  white  ceiling,  yellow  is  the  common  factor.  A  common 
factor  such  as  this,  is,  in  all  color  schemes,  the  great  harmonizer.  Such 
a  setting  is  warm,  bright  and  cheerful,  and  could  be  used  with  brown, 
green  or  orange  rugs  and  hangings. 

In  a  room  with  dark  oak  or  chestnut  trim,  the  walls  should  be  re- 
lated either  by  using  gray  tints  of  orange  or  its  Complement,  blue.  With 
mahogany  or  reddish  woodwork,  either  a  warm  gray  or  greenish  tones 
are  best.  If  one  Color  is  taken  as  a  tonal  scheme,  as  in  all  monochro- 
matic harmonies,  the  presence  of  a  note  of  its  Complement  will  relieve 
the  otherwise  too  monotonous  effect.  For  example,  a  "blue"  room  whose 
trim  was  painted  gray  blue,  whose  walls  were  light  gray  blue,  and  whose 
ceiling  was  a  pale  tint  of  gray  blue  was  "saved"  by  the  addition  of  cur- 
tains of  unbleached  muslin  with  bands  of  orange  and  blue  cretonne,  and 
a  rug  showing  orange  and  blue  in  its  patterns.  In  this  room  a  bowl  of  nas- 
turtiums or  a  jar  of  marigolds  always  seemed  to  be  the  crowning  note  of 
the  decorative  scheme. 

In  interior  decorations,  white  and  gray  with  all  their  subtle  varia- 
tions, as  in  cream,  buff,  ecru,  light  gray,  orange,  light  gray  green,  light 
gray  red,  light  gray  blue,  etc.,  are  "safe  and  sane"  tones  to  use  in  rooms 
where  light  effects  are  desired.  Woodwork  may  be  painted  in  these  tones, 
wall  papers  may  be  found  that  show  these  Colors  in  patterns  that  do  not 
vary  greatly  in  values,  rugs  are  obtainable  that  present  these  Colors  in 
darker  shades  and  ceilings  may  be  calcimined  in  tones  that  faintly  re- 
flect this  general  scheme  of  walls  and  trim. 

A  principle  of  house  furnishing  that  should  be  more  generally  ob- 
served is  this :  All  wall  spaces  in  a  room  should  be  treated  as  so  many 
flat  shapes  or  rectangles.  The  effect  of  a  room  with  no  furniture  in  it 
should  be  quiet  and  dignified.  This  effect  we  must  aim  to  preserve  when 
the  furniture  is  placed.  We  may  add,  up  to  a  certain  point,  lighting  fix- 
tures, hangings,  and  the  various  accessories  necessary  to  the  function  of  the 
room,  but  we  must  always  maintain  the  "balance"  of  the  room.  Bal- 
ance is  destroyed  by  the  bringing  in  of  too  many  details,  such  as  pictures. 


photographs,  bric-a-brac,  cushions,  flags,  draperies,  etc.  No  Color  har- 
mony can  compete  with  such  an  array  of  fussy  detail. 

Possibly  the  most  difficult  effect  to  secure  in  a  room  is  personality, 
or  "atmosphere."  We  do  not  look  for  this  in  hotel  bedrooms  or  ban- 
quet halls,  nor  in  railway  stations.  Yet  all  of  these  public  places  may 
be  beautiful  in  color  harmony  and  admirably  fitted  to  their  function. 
But  in  a  home  the  personality  of  the  individual,  or  the  family  should  al- 
ways be  expressed.  This  will  inevitably  result  when  personal  choice 
and  personal  "likes"  are  controlled  by  the  observance  of  the  laws  of 
Color  harmony. 

Our  houses  always  express  us.  If  we  are  indifferent  to  the  beauty 
of  orderly  arrangement  and  of  Color  harmony,  they  will  show  it.  If  we 
use  what  we  have  in  the  best  way  that  is  possible  for  those  things  to  be 
used,  our  houses  will  bear  witness  to  our  love  of  order  and  to  our  feeling 
for  and  knowledge  of  beauty. 


[47] 


Chapter  XIII 


COLOR  IN  COMMERCIAL  DESIGN 

WHEN  we  think  of  Color  as  a  factor  in  commerce,  the  impres- 
sion of  a  poster  flashes  into  our  minds.  The  wonderful  part 
that  posters  are  playing  in  these  stirring  times  needs  only 
to  be  mentioned  in  order  to  be  conceded.  We  are  living 
in  what  may  be  termed  a  "seeing"  age.  Books  are  no  longer  the  chief 
means  of  distributing  knowledge.  Even  the  lecture  platform  and  the 
pulpit  employ  the  moving  picture  as  a  quick  and  sure  means  of  convey- 
ing ideas.  We  still  read  the  newspapers  and  we  are  sure  to  look  at  the 
cartoon  of  the  day  as  expressing  a  definite  idea  of  great  interest  in 
simple,  direct  terms.  It  is  picture  language,  reduced  to  the  lowest 
terms,  and  it  is  universally  understood.  The  cartoon  thus  is  classified 
with  the  poster,  which,  because  of  its  simplicity,  its  directness  and  its 
color  attraction,  "hits  the  point"  with  swift  precision. 

Our  government  has  learned  to  use  posters  in  assembling  armies,  in 
inducing  the  people  to  save  countless  tons  of  food,  in  raising  billions  of 
money,  in  stirring  all  classes  of  men  and  women  to  high  pledges  of  pat- 
riotism. It  is  the  poster  which  has  burned  the  beautiful  symbol  of  the 
Red  Cross  into  the  consciousness  of  the  peoples  of  all  nations. 

Recently  the  United  States  government  undertook  the  task  of  dis- 
tributing throughout  Russia  certain  propaganda  planned  to  influence  the 
people  of  that  country  toward  the  ideals  of  Democracy.  Extracts  from 
great  speeches  and  other  writings  which  set  forth  the  exalted  aims  of  Free- 
dom and  Justice  were  gathered  together.  The  best  means  of  getting 
these  thoughts  and  ideas  into  the  minds  of  the  Russian  peoples  was  ear- 
nestly and  thoroughly  discussed.  The  futility  of  attempting  to  reach  the 
masses  through  the  newspapers  of  the  country  was  immediately  ac- 
knowledged. Russian  peasants,  as  a  rule,  cannot  read;  hence  the  news- 
papers have  little  attraction  for  them.  The  plan  of  erecting  immense 
billboards  was  finally  hit  upon.  In  hundreds  of  the  cities  and  towns  of 
Russia  these  great  screens  were  constructed,  and  the  messages,  quota- 


[48] 


tions  and  slogans  which  had  been  selected  were  translated  into  the  Rus- 
sian language,  printed  on  twenty-four  sheet  posters  and  mounted  upon 
the  boards.  Sometimes  the  text  was  used  with  appropriate  decorations, 
and  sometimes  the  screen  presented  only  an  arrangement  of  type,  but  al- 
ways the  element  of  Color  was  present.  It  is  reported  that  these  bill- 
boards created  a  decided  sensation  throughout  Russia.  Crowds  of  peo- 
ple gathered  about  them.  Those  who  could  read,  told  the  less  fortun- 
ate what  the  posters  said.  Thus  was  conveyed  to  all  classes,  learned  and 
illiterate,  the  sympathy  and  friendship  of  the  United  States  of  America 
for  all  people  who  struggle  for  freedom.  The  poster  with  its  dominat- 
ing size,  brilliant  color  and  wide  distribution,  accomplishes  quickly 
what  the  spoken,  written  or  printed  message  would  utterly  fail  to  do. 

In  America,  advertising  by  posters  was  probably  started  by  the  cir- 
cus. We  recall  the  pictures  of  gigantic  size  which  were  posted  upon 
the  billboards,  barns  and  on  any  other  available  spaces  on  buildings, 
announcing  that  the  circus  with  its  marvels  was  coming  to  town.  The 
pictures  were  as  realistic  as  they  could  be  made.  They  showed  ele- 
phants from  the  jungle,  camels  from  the  desert,  polar  bears  on  icebergs, 
buffaloes  from  the  plains  or  a  crouching  tiger  ready  to  spring  upon  its 
prey.  They  were  crude  in  color,  poor  in  drawing,  and  showed  no  sense 
of  composition  or  arrangement,  yet  they  fulfilled  the  first  and  most  im- 
portant function  of  the  poster — they  attracted  attention,  exciting  interest 
and  made  people  anxious  to  go  to  the  circus! 

It  was  not  long  before  manufacturers  and  merchants  adopted  the 
pictorial  method  of  bringing  their  wares  to  the  attention  of  the  public. 
Soon  "Bixby's  Best  Blacking"  appeared  in  posters  that  showed  a  pair 
of  boots,  in  whose  shining  surfaces  were  reflected  the  complacent  coun- 
tenance of  the  bootblack.  As  a  result  of  these  pictures,  no  doubt,  vast 
quantities  of  "Bixby's  Best"  were  sold. 

The  drawing,  the  composition  and  the  coloring  of  these  early  post- 
ers were  very  crude.  People  of  refined  taste  objected  strongly  to  the 
display  of  so  low  a  grade  of  Art  upon  the  streets  and  along  the  avenues 
of  commerce.  Gradually,  in  response  to  a  demand  for  better  things,  im- 
provement was  noticeable  in  posters.  Designers  discovered  that  simple, 
flat  shapes  and  a  few  colors  well  arranged  could  be  seen  farther  than 
shapes  that  were  treated  to  represent  details  of  surface  in  realistic  colors, 


hence  the  fact  was  established  that  the  decorative  treatment  of  shapes 
and  colors  was  better  than  the  pictorial  or  realistic  treatment  for  the 
advertiser's  purpose. 

The  billboards  of  today,  which  we  acknowledge  are  the  great  public 
news  carriers,  are  rapidly  becoming  great  public  Art  galleries  as  well,  for 
some  of  the  most  dignified  and  serious  Art  work  of  our  country,  as  well 
as  of  other  countries,  is  now  expressed  through  posters.  Great  progress 
has  also  been  made  in  the  invention  of  non-fading  inks  of  fine  color 
quality  and  in  the  manufacture  of  a  certain  poster  paper  which  sheds 
water  and  with  a  surface  that  is  adapted  to  the  printing  of  large  masses 
of  inks.  The  people  are  much  interested  in  Poster  Art,  and  when  the 
people  appreciate  and  encourage  the  work  of  good  designers,  the  prod- 
ucts are  sure  to  be  of  high  merit. 

The  importance  of  Color  as  a  factor  in  Commercial  Design  is  ob- 
vious. Can  we  imagine  a  poster  without  Color?  Can  we  question  the 
importance  of  an  understanding,  on  the  part  of  the  poster  designer,  of 
the  various  properties  and  attributes  of  Color?  A  man  in  business  may 
scoff  at  the  suggestion  that  a  knowledge  of  the  laws  of  Color  harmony 
is  necessary  for  the  full  enjoyment  of  his  home,  or  he  may  ridicule  the 
idea  that  his  necktie  is  a  criterion  by  which  his  esthetic  station  in  life  may 
be  designated,  but  he  will  listen  with  respectful  attention  when  he  is  told 
that  certain  colors,  scientifically  considered,  have  more  power  to  attract 
than  other  colors.  He  can  understand  that  this  kind  of  Color  knowl- 
edge will  bring  in  returns,  in  terms  of  dollars  and  cents.  If  a  poster 
which  advertises  the  wares  that  he  offers  for  sale  attracts  more  atten- 
tion than  the  poster  used  by  a  competitor,  he  is  convinced  that  Art,  or 
at  least  that  phase  of  Art  which  affects  posters,  has  practical  value.  He 
sees  that  Art  may  be  made  to  serve  a  commercial  purpose  and  for  that 
reason  he  is  willing  to  invest  in  it. 

The  first  function  of  a  poster  is  fulfilled  when  people  are  compelled 
to  look  at  it.  If  a  poster  fails  to  induce  the  eye  to  rest  upon  it,  it  "might 
as  well  not  be,  as  be."  Through  the  flash  of  Color,  the  eye  is  first  at- 
tracted. If  the  fleeting  glance  registers  a  thrill,  the  eye  looks  again, 
notes  the  shape  of  the  Color  and  pauses  to  read  the  short,  crisp  text.  So, 
like  the  click  that  registers  the  taking  of  the  kodak  picture,  the  idea  goes 
home,  and  the  work  of  the  poster  is  accomplished. 


The  poster  designer  must  understand  not  only  the  principles  of  col- 
or harmony,  but  he  must  know  the  psychology  of  Color  as  well.  He 
must  appreciate  the  fact  that  a  poster  which  sets  forth  the  attractions  of 
a  summer  resort  in  Maine,  should  not  show  the  same  Color  scheme  as 
a  poster  which  advertises  a  winter  cruise  in  the  Mediterranean.  He 
must  know  which  colors  are  "advancing"  and  which  are  "retreating" 
in  their  effect  upon  the  eye  and  mind.  He  must  understand  that  dignity 
and  seriousness,  lightness  and  joy,  tragedy  and  sorrow  may  be  suggested 
by  Colors,  as  well  as  by  words.  He  must  realize  that  a  poster  must  in 
the  last  analysis  be  beautiful  as  well  as  forceful,  in  order  to  perform  its 
most  effective  work. 

Poster  effects  are  used  in  many  places.  Not  only  on  billboards  do 
we  observe  a  flat,  simple  treatment  of  strong  pure  Color.  We  see  it  in 
other  forms,  common  in  commercial  usage — in  book  covers,  post  cards, 
poster  stamps,  box  covers,  labels,  display  cards,  and  in  magazine  covers 
and  advertisements.  In  all  these  forms,  the  best  is  always  that  which 
makes  the  strongest  appeal,  in  a  beautiful  harmony.  We  must  not  forget 
that  harmony  is  possible  through  the  use  of  pure  colors.  It  is  a  dif- 
ficult problem  to  bring  pure,  intense  colors  into  harmonious  relationship, 
but  it  is  by  no  means  impossible  of  solution. 

A  stranger  in  a  western  town  paused  before  the  window  of  a  shoe 
store,  not  because  she  was  interested  in  shoes  at  that  time,  but  because 
she  saw  in  that  window  as  beautiful  an  arrangement  of  Color  harmonies 
as  is  presented  in  many  a  picture.  There  was  nothing  in  that  window 
but  shoes  and  a  paper  background.  The  lady  was  astonished  that  so 
prosaic  an  article  could  be  the  means  of  expressing  so  interesting  a  Color 
scheme.  The  fact  was  evident  that  an  intelligent  mind  had  thought  out 
the  scheme  and  had  arranged  the  display.  People  paused  to  look  at 
it  because  it  was  different  from  other  shoe  displays  and  they  went  away 
thinking  that  the  window  was  interesting  and  beautiful.  Perhaps  they  did 
not  know  why.  It  would  have  given  them  an  added  interest  if  they  had 
understood.  The  background  and  floor  of  the  window  were  covered  with 
violet  and  white  striped  paper.  A  number  of  packing  boxes  had  been 
utilized  as  stands  at  different  levels  for  the  shoes  to  rest  upon,  and  these 
also  were  covered  with  violet  and  white  paper.  Against  this  background 
were  arranged  dozens  of  pairs  of  shoes,  every  size  and  kiad  being  repre- 


sented,  except  that  they  were  restricted  as  to  Color,  for  they  were  all 
either  white,  black  or  tan.  The  three  colors  were  so  distributed  that  a 
balanced  composition  of  black,  white  and  yellow  (tan)  against  a  violet 
and  white  background  was  created.  Thus  the  law  of  Complementary 
harmony  was  observed,  with  the  addition  of  the  neutrals  black  and 
white,  which  supplied  the  "snap"  and  "punch"  that  are  indispensable 
in  any  advertising  arrangement.  The  stranger  entered  the  store  to  con- 
gratulate the  owner  upon  the  success  of  his  window  and  being  in  the 
store  she  remembered  that  she  needed  a  pair  of  rubbers.  It  is  not  likely 
that  her  purchase  was  the  only  one  that  resulted  from  the  attractive  ar- 
rangement in  the  window.  The  shoe  dealer's  primary  object  was  not 
to  present  a  Color  harmony  for  the  satisfaction  of  the  esthetic  eye,  but 
to  sell  shoes.  He  used  the  striking  Color  harmony  only  as  a  means  of 
compelling  some  passer-by  to  look,  and  looking,  the  possible  buyer  reg- 
istered on  his  mind  a  favorable  impression  of  this  dealer's  shoes. 

In  Commercial  Design  the  law  of  backgrounds  must  be  observed  as 
strictly  as  in  the  furnishing  of  a  room.  The  background  must  be  always 
less  intense  in  color  than  the  shapes  that  are  placed  against  it.  The  rea- 
son for  this  is  plain.  Attention  is  to  be  called  not  to  the  background,  but 
to  the  shapes  of  objects  and  to  the  words  that  are  printed  on  the  back- 
ground. If,  on  a  background  of  intense  orange  were  printed  shapes  in 
blue,  brown  and  gray,  the  background  would  assert  itself  more  strongly 
than  the  shapes.  If  the  order  were  reversed  and  the  blue,  orange  and 
brown  shapes  were  seen  against  a  gray  background,  the  shapes  would 
"hold  their  own"  without  conflict.  If  we  understand  then,  that  "re- 
treating" Colors  and  grayed  tones  are  best  for  backgrounds,  and  that  "ad- 
vancing" Colors  are  to  be  selected  for  those  shapes  to  which  we  desire 
to  call  attention,  we  shall  be  sure  of  a  principle  that  it  will  be  safe  to 
follow. 

Strong  contrasts  of  dark  and  light,  even  in  a  Monochromatic  scheme 
will  always  attract  the  eye.  Light  shapes  against  dark,  or  dark  against 
light,  will  strengthen  a  poster's  appeal.  This  is  the  very  effect  we  wish 
to  avoid  in  a  rug,  however.  A  too  light  border  or  shape  will  overbal- 
ance a  large  area  of  tones  that  are  subtle  in  their  relationship.  When 
we  know  the  law  we  can  obey  it  intelligently,  and  find  in  its  observance 
the  greatest  satisfaction. 


There  is  another  quality  of  Color  most  important  to  the  commercial 
designer,  and  that  is  the  quality  which  we  call  Luminosity.  A  luminous 
Color  reflects  and  even  seems  to  emit  light.  Certain  luminous  Colors 
strongly  suggest  light.  Of  all  Colors  in  the  Chromatic  Circle,  yellow  is 
the  most  nearly  like  actual  light.  It  is  the  carrying,  penetrating  color 
and  when  mixed  with  red,  which  gives  it  depth  and  strength,  the  re- 
sultant Color,  orange,  can  be  seen  at  a  greater  distance  than  any  other 
color.  This  is  the  reason  that  the  so-called  red  lights  (which  are  really 
red-orange)  are  used  as  railway  signals.  Light  shining  through  a  yel- 
low or  orange  shade  will  pierce  farther  into  the  darkness  than  light 
which  shines  through  clear  glass,  or  through  a  green  or  blue  glass.  A 
green  lamp  shade  is  restful  to  the  reader  because  it  reduces  the  inten- 
sity of  white  light,  but  it  does  not  light  the  room  so  well.  Again,  a  yel- 
low, orange  or  red  shade  placed  around  artificial  light  sends  a  warm, 
becoming  glow  over  the  people  who  come  under  the  influence,  while  the 
unbecomingness  of  the  greenish  light  which  proceeds  from  green  shades 
is  well  known. 

When  we  add  yellow  the  most  luminous  color,  to  red,  the  most  warm 
and  vital  color,  we  produce  orange,  which  is  perhaps  the  most  attractive, 
far  reaching  and  compelling  Color  known.  It  does  not  excite  or  stimu- 
late to  the  point  of  irritation  as  red  does,  but  it  has  just  enough  of  the 
red  quality  to  attract  and  hold  the  attention.  For  this  reason,  orange  in 
some  intensity  or  value  is  used  on  nearly  every  poster  that  is  made,  for 
those  shapes  where  the  interest  is  intended  to  be  centered. 

All  Colors  possess  in  varying  degrees  the  quality  of  luminosity.  We 
may  even  speak  of  a  luminous  blue,  although  blue  is  very  low  in  the 
scale  of  luminosity.  The  order  of  colors  in  their  degree  of  Luminosity 
may  be  stated  as  follows:  yellow,  orange,  green,  red,  blue  and  violet. 

All  that  we  can  learn  about  Color,  its  properties,  its  harmonies  its 
psychology,  its  mission  as  a  universal  language  to  express  and  to  convey 
definite  ideas  and  impressions  can  be  applied  to  every  activity  of  life. 
Thus  in  our  effort  to  educate  the  people,  so  that  they  may  be  fitted  to 
the  times  in  which  they  live,  contributing  their  part  to  civilization,  and 
enjoying  the  fullness,  usefulness  and  beauty  of  a  well  rounded  develop- 
ment, instruction  in  the  Science  and  Art  of  Color  should  play  an  import- 
ant part. 


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